News

Wednesday November 17, 2010


North Dakota prosecutor refuses to charge unlicensed abortionist

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski

FARGO, N.D., November 17, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – North Dakota State’s Attorney Birch Burdick has announced that he will not file criminal charges against abortionist Lori Lynn Thorndike, who committed abortions at the Red River Women’s Clinic in Fargo, while her medical license to practice in North Dakota was lapsed.

Brudick justified his decision by saying that Thorndike’s licensing issues were “an administrative oversight” and noted that she had active medical licenses in South Dakota and Colorado at the time she was doing the abortions.

Operation Rescue spokeswoman Cheryl Sullenger, however, has charged that Burdick’s move to ignore state law was irresponsible and puts vulnerable women at risk.

“North Dakota laws are very explicit. It is a Class B Felony to commit abortions in that state without a valid North Dakota medical license. Burdick has decided all on his own that the laws of North Dakota that were enacted for the protection of vulnerable women should not be enforced,” Sullenger said in a press release.

Operation Rescue had received a letter from the North Dakota Board of Medical Examiners Executive Secretary Duane Houdek, dated November 9, 2010, saying that, “At this point we are soliciting additional information regarding the complaint against Dr. Thorndike. All of this information will be forwarded to the members of one of the Board’s investigative panels who will decide whether formal proceedings should be brought against this physician.”

The letter went on to say that the matter would be discussed at a meeting of the Board scheduled for November 18, 2010.

However, Sullenger discovered that the day after the letter was written, the Board unilaterally decided to reinstate Thorndike’s license without a hearing of the Board, and has since equivocated on whether or not the matter will be brought up at the referenced meeting.

“When authorities give abortion abuses a wink and a nod, it only serves to reinforce the dangerous notion that is prevalent among abortionists that they are above the law,” said Sullenger.

Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo also expressed his dismay at Burdick’s decision not to charge Thorndike.

“The North Dakota legislature enacted laws specifically designed to protect women seeking abortions, including those that expressly require a properly licensed physician,” said the Bishop in a statement. “At the same time, there is no fulfillment of the regulations of any civil law which will transform the evil of abortion into a morally acceptable act. Abortion harms children, women, and fathers in all instances, whether ‘legal’ or not.”


Contact information to voice your concern:

North Dakota Board of Medical Examiners

Duane Houdek, JD, Executive Secretary/Treasurer

418 E Broadway Ave # 12

Bismarck, ND 58501-4086, USA

Phone: (701) 328-6500

Fax: (701) 328-6505

Email: [email protected]

State’s Attorney Birch P. Burdick

Cass County State’s Attorney

P.O. Box 2806

Fargo, ND 58108-2806 USA

Phone: 701-241-5850

Fax: 701-241-5805

Email: [email protected]

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