ARTICLES
February 2006 ARTICLES
Contents © 2006
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.
Pro-Lifers Praise Pro-Abortion Senator
Barbara Boxer Calls for Abortionist's Punishment
BY MARIA KENNEDY
In an unheard of move, ardent pro-abortion California senator Barbara Boxer has called upon the Osteopathic Medical Board of California to have abortionist Lawrence Reich's osteopathic medical license removed. The call for action by Boxer was prompted by recent media revelations that Reich has been convicted of having sexually molested his patients. In a strongly worded December 8, 2005 letter to the board's medical director, Linda Bergmann, Boxer demanded that Reich's license be revoked immediately. "I believe that immediate action should be taken to suspend Dr. Laurence Reich's medical license until a full hearing is held and any legal cases against him are completed," wrote Boxer.
Although pro-lifers have long pointed out that Reich has been convicted of sexually molesting woman, no action was taken until the Los Angeles Daily News ran a story about Reich early last year. It was this story, followed by a CNN story, that probably prompted Boxer to step in. In her letter, Boxer accused Reich of endangering women. "According to CNN and other media and your Board's records, Dr. Reich has a long history of sexual misconduct against patients, which led to a license suspension in 1982 and a 10-year probationary period that ended in 1994," wrote Boxer. "Further, he was arrested in 2002 on sexual battery charges and pleaded no contest to sexual exploitation by a physician. In short, this individual has a clear pattern of violating the public trust that has been placed in him, yet he continues to see patients.
"I understand that an Administra tive Law Judge will hold a hearing in February 2006 regarding the June, 2000 complaints -- approximately three years after his admission of sexually exploiting a patient and nearly six years after the original complaints that triggered this latest process."
Russ Heimerich, spokesman for the California department of consumer affairs, said in an interview with this reporter that Boxer's letter would not make a difference -- Reich would not be removed until after an administrative law judge issues an order to that effect. "The reason for this," he said, "is that there has to be due process." When asked why it has taken the board so long to address the issue, Heimerich admitted, "yes, this has taken far too long. The way to have done this was to get a PC 23 order, but this didn't happen in this case." The order that Heimerich was referring to is a section of the California penal code which allows authorities to remove the license of a medical professional who has been convicted of criminal conduct.
When asked why the PC 23 order was not pursued, Heimerich replied, "too much time has lapsed. We are looking into why this was not done when this occurred so it doesn't happen again." When I suggested that perhaps the osteopathic board was not aggressive against egregious behavior by abortionists, Heimerich denied it. "The board has rejected three settlement offers from Dr. Reich. Yes, it should not have taken three years; but we are looking into it."
According to public records, Reich received an osteopathic license in 1979. Several months later, a patient accused him of sexual misconduct. In 1982 the osteopathic board filed an accusation against Reich containing complaints from six women, four alleging that Reich had sexually molested them and two alleging negligence. Because of these allegations, Reich served a ten-year probationary period, which required that he have a third person in the room when he examined women. In 2002, Reich was criminally convicted of exploiting his patients. Reich pleaded no contest and served one day in jail.
Reich is now facing another accusa tion, which was filed on July 14, 2004. According to this accusation, on February 8, 2000, patient Yvette Chambers went to Family Planning Medical Center, where Reich worked. According to the accusation, Reich fondled Chambers. Reich also gave the patient his phone number after asking explicit questions about her sex life.
Another allegation against Reich involves a woman who is only identified as "S.E." This patient claims that Reich fondled her during an examination and also asked for her phone number and gave her his phone number. "S.E." said she was told by Reich that she had cervical scarring and required visits to his other offices in Los Angeles. When "S.E." went to a second doctor to see about the cervical scarring, she was told she had none. The accusation says Reich attempted to establish a non-professional relationship with "S.E." The accusation asks the court to remove Reich's license and order him to pay for the investigation and enforcement of the case against him.
Reich works in abortion clinics owned by Bertha Bugarin, which are in poor Latino areas. As medical director for Bugarin's Clinica Medica Para La Mujer de Hoy, Reich has been given access to vulnerable woman for many years. Bugarin's clinics are in Chula Vista, Santa Ana, Panorama City, Baldwin Park, and Los Angeles.
Patricia Mendoza, who sidewalk counsels with her husband Luis in front of the Chula Vista Clinica Medica, sent a letter to Senator Boxer applauding her call for removal of Reich. "Thank you for taking a stand against Dr. Reich," wrote Mendoza. "Are you aware that he is the clinical director of a chain of abortion clinics that prey on poor Latina women hiring the worst doctors -- all on probation for gross negligence, drug abuse or sexual offense? Dr. Reich not only victimizes his own patients sexually, he profits from the butchery of the other women seeking obstetric care at his clinics. He partners with a woman Bertha Bugarin who is the true owner of the clinic, but needed a doctor as partner due to the laws in California."
Cheryl Sullenger of Operation Rescue West knows Reich well and has complained about him to the California osteopathic board for years. Sullenger said Reich needed to be locked up. "Reich found the perfect place to prey upon women: abortion mills in Hispanic neighborhoods," said Sullenger. "These women are especially vulnerable for a number of reasons. They are less likely to go to the authorities because they may not speak particularly good English, or they may be in the country illegally. And because of the shame of having aborted their children, some may even believe they deserved to be abused and will bear the emotional scars the rest of their lives. Reich should have been permanently banned from the practice of medicine over 20 years ago after his first sexual battery conviction. We warned the board of osteopathy six years ago that this would happen again, and now it has. The inaction of the board is partially responsible for Reich's latest crimes, because they knew the danger he posed and chose to ignore it.
"Every day that the board of osteopathy delays in revoking Laurence Reich's license is another day that women remain vulnerable to further sexual abuse. It is shocking that he is still operating and that he is not in jail where he belongs."
Tim Nissen, a sidewalk counselor at Bugarin's Santa Ana clinic, said he sent Boxer a letter applauding her call for the removal of Reich's license. "I am thankful to Barbara Boxer," he said. "My earnest desire, however, is that she does not stop with this one doctor but rather spearheads a campaign in California to ensure that patients are safe from the kinds of abuse and negligence that doctors such as Reich (and there are many) perpetrate. Any such campaign will not be complete if it does not address the fact that many of these doctors tend to be concentrated in low-grade clinics which are engaged in much illegal or otherwise dubious activities."
According to Nissan, some of the blame for abortionists like Reich lies with elected officials. "May our elected officials find the time, courage, and strength to de-legitimize those parts of the California medical industry which are egregiously corrupt," he said. "And may pro-life or otherwise concerned citizens be active in encouraging them through letters and phone calls to make this 'clean-up' operation a priority. Such a project offers a rare opportunity for bipartisan action (as Boxer's letter shows), because what person could find a problem with ridding the state of perverse doctors and clinics?"