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Action Alert!
Dr. Bruce Steir Defense Committee Update: 11-20-97
What is the charge?
Unprecedented in the State of California, the Riverside County District Attorney has arrested and charged Dr. Bruce Steir with murder of a woman who underwent an abortion in Riverside County and died several hours later at her home in San Bernadino County.
What happened to this patient?
In December 1996, the woman had a second trimester abortion performed by Dr. Steir in a Riverside County clinic. Dr. Steir lives in San Francisco and traveled to this Southern California clinic to assist the physician who owns the clinic. The woman lived several hours away from the clinic in a neighboring county. After her abortion she was monitored by Dr. Steir and clinic staff. Although she was groggy and weak after the abortion, presumably from the medications given, her vital signs were believed to be normal and she was in stable condition to go home. Dr. Steir left the clinic after diagnosing her condition as stable and released her to leave the clinic. The woman left the clinic sometime after, with her mother to travel home by car. On the several hours drive home, the woman and her mother stopped at a fast food restaurant and continued home. When arriving home, the mother could not rouse her daughter and called an ambulance. The woman was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital. The autopsy revealed an undetected uterine perforation that caused internal bleeding that lead to this woman's death.
Second trimester abortion carries a greater risk of this kind of complication. Perforation, a known risk in abortion, is rare and can be hard to detect, as in this case. Apparently her condition did not deteriorate drastically enough to warn Dr. Steir, the clinic staff, or the mother after her abortion. This tragic death happened because the internal bleeding was not realized and by the time an ambulance was called, it was too late.
How did this abortion complication turn into a murder charge? Are anti-abortion activists involved?
All of the facts that elevated this tragic death to a murder charge are not yet known. The role of the anti-abortion activists that live in Riverside County is highly suspected however. Jeff White, head of Operation Rescue of California, lives in this area and has been harassing an abortion doctor who lives and works in Riverside County. County law enforcement has a history of not prosecuting anti-abortion blockades in front of abortion clinics.
Janette Dreisbach, founder of the Pro-Life Medical Association and a group called" Women's Advocate" lives in this county and has been tracking abortion complications for many years. Dreisbach has been working with an anti-choice attorney, Jack Schuler, in helping women sue doctors after their abortions. Schuler is now representing the family of the deceased woman in this case in a wrongful death civil suit.
Dreisbach's goal is to stop legal abortion through attacking the doctors who perform abortions. When she discovers that a complication in an abortion occurs, she complains to the Medical Board of California that the doctor has performed a "botched abortion" regardless of the facts. She has mounted a successful campaign against doctors and garnered support from many levels of government.
By compiling "statistics" on abortion complications, Dresibach has successfully painted a grim and one-sided picture of abortion care in Southern California. She shares her "concerns" with City and State officials that already have disdain for abortion.
Anti-abortion State Legislators have joined the band wagon by introducing hostile language against abortion doctors during State budget negotiations. Last legislative session language was placed in the State budget that would prohibit abortion doctors on probation from practicing medicine. This language was defeated because it discriminates against abortion doctors only.
Does the Medical Board of California treat abortion doctors differently?
Yes, especially second trimester abortion doctors. Although abortion is a very safe procedure, second trimester carries more risk. There is evidence that even when an abortion complication is appropriately managed, the Medical Board investigates anyway. Medical Board of California (MBC) has a history of treating post-abortion complications differently than other potential medical malpractice happening in the State. Complaints made by anti-abortionists, such as Dreisbach, are treated as credible by the Board and investigated. In other instances, if a woman goes to an anti-abortion (Catholic) hospital or sees and anti-abortion doctor after her abortion, she may receive poor or unknowledgeable treatment. The result also generally includes a complaint to the MBC about the abortion doctor, who is then investigated. Many medical experts for the MBC that are rendering their opinion in abortion cases, do not perform abortions and have limited knowledge of appropriate abortion medical practice.
The result is many second trimester abortion doctors have been highly scrutinized by the MBC and have been placed on probation on trumped up charges that their medical practice deserves a higher level of monitoring.
Who is Dr. Bruce Steir?
Dr. Steir has been performing abortions since Roe v Wade. He, like many abortion doctors, has worked in a variety of clinics over the years including physician's offices, Feminist Clinics, and Planned Parenthood. He worked at the Feminist Women's Health Center in Chico, Redding, Sacramento, and Santa Rosa for 12 years and also served as Medical Director. His low complication rate at Feminist Clinics was excellent. He has been under attack by anti-abortion activist for many years, including threats against his life.
Dr. Steir was already under scrutiny and was on probation at the time of this tragic death. Because of the death, the Medical Board wanted Dr. Steir's license. He reluctantly gave up his license because he was financially unable to sustain the legal battle to keep it.
What can you do to help?
Charging a physician with murder as a result of a rare but known medical complication is unjust and unfair. Even if malpractice was found in this case, it is not criminal and certainly does not carry the components of murder. This charge is having a chilling effect on all abortion providers who are already scarce and isolated. While most of the population is pro-choice, later abortion rallies less support. Your voice and your help is needed to put a stop to this dangerous precedent and insure that Dr. Steir is not sent to prison for a murder he did not commit.
Send your tax-deductible donation to:
Dr. Bruce Steir Constitutional Litigation Fund
c/o Feminist Women's Health Center
1469 Humboldt Road #200
Chico, CA 95928
Contact: Shauna, Dido or Eileen at 530-891-1911
From: Feminist Women's Health Center - Chico, CA
Contacts: Dido & Shauna
Dated: 10/23/97
Action Alert!
Abortion Doctor Arrested for Murder!
Your Pro Choice Response Is Needed
Immediate action and response is needed from the pro-choice community. A physician has been arrested for murder for a RECOGNIZED COMPLICATION in a legal second trimester abortion.
Dr. Bruce Steir was arrested yesterday at his home in San Francisco and charged with murder. He is presently being held in San Francisco County Jail on $250,000 bail. He is represented by attorney Doran Weinberg of San Francisco.
The abortion complication resulted from a uterine perforation of an unusual type during a second trimester abortion which went undetected in the normal follow up monitoring. After being discharged, the woman who traveled far for her abortion, died from internal bleeding on her way home from a Riverside County Clinic.
Murder charges were initiated by the California Medical Board (CMB) as a culmination of harassment against Dr. Steir. As with others of the small number of trained doctors who provide later abortion services in California, Dr. Steir had been under constant CMB scrutiny. He was forced to surrender his license as a result of this complication because he lacked the resources to mount a protracted legal battle to counter the CMB's accusation.
Dr. Steir has been providing abortions since the Roe v. Wade decision. He worked at various California clinics and was the Medical Director of the Feminist Women's Health Center for many years. He has been a long time active member of the National Abortion Federation (NAF).
Your immediate response in support of Dr. Steir and the future of later abortion is needed;
Spread the word to your friends and family; Send out alerts to your contacts; Contact your elected representatives; Contact the California Medical Board
Make sure they hear from the pro-choice community. This complication was tragic, but within the range of risk of later abortion, and certainly not murder. Complications from medical treatment are not criminal acts.
Bruce S. Steir, M.D., M.P.H.
San Francisco, California
November 3, 1997
Dear Friends,
You may help me in my hour of need.
Recent events have left me devastated. I believe you have all read and heard about my arrest for murder which was in fact a medical complication resulting in the death of a woman in my care last December.
It is unprecedented in California for a physician to be charged with homicide for a complication!
I have reasons to believe that this is done to persecute me for providing abortion services. Can you imagine a surgeon being arrested for homicide because a patient died during a coronary by-pass procedure?
It was said that I had left a patient knowingly after I had perforated her uterus. For those who know me well, you would know that I would never leave a patient that was in distress in any way. You must believe that if she had shown any symptoms or signs of uterine perforation, I would have sent her to the hospital immediately.
The gravity of this charge is such that it will take a monumental effort to combat. You can help by writing to various people of concern as per the attached list. Time is of the essence. Please do not delay.
Moreover, my financial means are limited to put up a proper defense. If you could help me, please make a contribution to:
Dr. Bruce Steir Legal Defense Fund
c/o WOMEN'S HEALTH SPECIALISTS
1469 Humboldt Road, Suite 200
Chico, CA 95928
I thank you for your phone calls and words of courage. The days and weeks to come are extremely difficult for my family and me. I shall hope this will pass.
Very truly yours,
Bruce S. Steir
Other places to send letters supporting Dr. Steir:
Senator Barbara Boxer
e-mail: senator@boxer.senate.gov
1700 Montgomery Street
Suite 240
San Francisco, CA 94111
Senator Diane Feinstein
e-mail: senator@feinstein.senate.gov
331 Hart Senate Building
Washington D.C. 20510
Governor Pete Wilson
e-mail: petewilson@ca.gov
1st floor State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi
e-mail: sf.nancy.mail@house.gov
450 Golden Gate Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102
Congressman Tom Lantos
e-mail: talk2tom@hr.house.gov
400 S. El Camino Real, Suite 820
San Mateo, CA 94402
Dr. Jack Lewin
e-mail: jlewin@calmed.org
Executive Director
California Medical Association
P.O. Box 7690
San Francisco, CA 94120
ACLU
e-mail: adm/acfunc@aol.com
1663 Mission Street, Suite 460
San Francisco, CA 94103
Dan Lundgren
Attorney General
P.O. Box 944255
Sacramento, CA 94244-2550
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