Pro-Life Group Praises Arrest of Calif. Abortionist
A California abortionist who performed countless numbers of unlicensed, illegal abortions for over a decade was jailed in San Diego Thursday on an over $500,000 bond after facing numerous charges of malpractice and misdemeanors.
If convicted, Bertha Bugarin, who operated a line of abortion clinics that preyed on mostly low-income Hispanic women, could face as much as 9 years in federal prison. Bugarin reportedly charged women as much as $500 to perform abortions illegally and without a license.
Authorities moved to arrest the prominent abortionist this past week after numerous allegations from women who said they suffered from hospitalization and other health problems from botched abortions performed at clinics owned by Bugarin.
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Other staff members who worked for Bugarin also face a myriad of charges including sexually molesting women while performing abortions.
Operation Rescue, a pro-life group which helped to surface many of the illegal activities of Burgarin, said it was encouraged to see that the prominent, illegal abortionist was being brought to justice.
"The only way to stop someone like Bugarin from hurting people is to put her in jail, because she obviously has no respect for the law or for the lives of the women she seeks to exploit," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman in a statement.
"We thank God that Bugarin is being brought to justice. We have worked for years, along with the faithful pro-lifers in San Diego, to close her shop of horrors, and now it looks like those prayers are being answered," he added.
Operation Rescue, which was founded in the late 1980s, is most notable for its campaigns against Kansas abortionist George Tiller. The group has worked to publicize many of Tiller's illegal and alleged third-trimester abortions since as far back as 1991.
