KOPP MAY ASK TO REPRESENT HIMSELF

James C. Kopp said Tuesday that he may represent himself in federal court if a judge does not approve his request to have his case handled by a Long Island attorney with strong anti-abortion opinions.

After a 45-minute hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Hugh B. Scott reserved decision on Kopp's request to replace Paul J. Cambria Jr. with Long Island attorney Bruce A. Barket.

Kopp said he feels so strongly about the matter that, if Barket is not approved to represent him, he may ask to represent himself when his federal case goes to trial.

"There are philosophical sympathies between me and Mr. Barket," Kopp told Scott. "I'd be hard-pressed to find another lawyer . . . to handle the case the way I want.

"I know this sounds drastic, but without Mr. Barket, I think I'd be tempted to (represent myself)."

Kopp, 47, faces charges in both the federal and Erie County courts in connection with the October 1998 sniper slaying of Dr. Barnett A. Slepian, an Amherst abortion provider. Kopp wants Barket, who strongly opposes abortion, to represent him.

A murder trial is expected to begin in February before County Judge Michael L. D'Amico. In that case, D'Amico already has allowed Barket to replace Cambria.

The soft-spoken Kopp spoke at length during the court session about his desire to have Barket represent him.

"I am the person who is in trouble here, and the court is saying, "We know better, Mr. Kopp, we'll make your decision for you.' That doesn't sit right with me," Kopp said, adding that he means no disrespect to the judge.

In federal court, Kopp is accused of using deadly force to violate the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. Kopp initially asked Scott on Oct. 22 for permission to replace Cambria with Barket. Scott said he could not allow such a change to be made until he is certain that Kopp understood all the possible pitfalls that could result.

Barket also represents Loretta C. Marra, a pro-life activist from Brooklyn who faces federal charges that she helped Kopp stay on the run after the 1998 murder.

After both Kopp and Marra told him they have no concern about potential conflicts, Scott reserved decision on Kopp's legal representation. The judge did not give a timetable for when his written decision will be released.

SLEPIAN AWARD GOES TO 'DR. T.' LINK
The Buffalo News
Gene Warner, News Staff Reporter
November 10, 2002
     This year's recipient of the Dr. Barnett A. Slepian Memorial Fund award is - drum roll - a 28-year-old family practice doctor willing to identify himself only as Dr. T.
     Four years after Slepian was gunned down inside his Amherst home, the climate of fear remains so strong among abortion providers that a young doctor willing to perform abortions won't give even his first name or the state where he lives.
     "There are enough people who would try to make my life difficult just because I would be performing abortions," said Dr. T., who described himself only as a family practice physician in the mid-Atlantic area.
     Specifically, he mentioned the Nuremberg Files Web site, which named Slepian and which provides lists of "baby butchers," complete with simulated blood dripping onto those lists.
     That Web site, combined with the violence against Slepian and other abortion providers, has had a chilling effect on Dr. T.
     "For me, it drives home that it's not just picketing out there," he said. "Picketing is fine. I don't mind if they accuse me of killing babies. But unfortunately, some of these doctors have died. That's terrorism."
     Dr. T. plans to use the $2,500 grant from the Slepian Memorial Fund to travel to a few cities - possibly Rochester, Chicago and somewhere on the West Coast - to continue his training in first-trimester abortions.
     The Slepian Memorial Fund was established by the Pro-Choice Network of Western New York to honor Slepian's dedication to the cause, with donations received from supporters of reproductive freedom. Slepian was shot to death inside his home Oct. 23, 1998.
     "With these awards, the community is able to influence the practice of women's health care and to lessen the danger to those who provide abortions by increasing their numbers," said Helen Dalley, president of the network.
      Dr. T. said he remains frustrated by the politics of abortion. It's a safe procedure that should be widespread and available, he said.
     "Unfortunately, a lot of doors get closed to women once they have an unplanned pregnancy," he said. "I'm somebody who's good at it, and I believe in it, so I feel I should do it."
     Dr. T. believes that people who contribute to the Slepian fund are helping to ensure that there will e abortion providers in the future, because a high proportion of doctors willing to be trained in abortion wind up offering the service.
      "It's a real put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is thing," he added.
     The Slepian award is being given Monday, Remembrance Day, in honor of victims of anti-abortion violence that has occurred on or near that date in the last decade.
     The memorial fund helps friends, family and supporters continue Slepian's dedication to providing safe, legal abortions, Dalley said.
     But she also wants people to remember him as a wonderful doctor, whether he was helping a woman with a difficult pregnancy to deliver a healthy child or helping a woman end an unwanted pregnancy.
     "He met women's needs, whatever they were," Dalley said. "That's what he should be remembered for."

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