Abortion Practitioner Brian Finkel Found Guilty of Sexual Abuse

LifeNews.com ^ | December 2, 2003 | Steven Ertelt

[nickcarraway]

Phoenix, AZ (LifeNews.com) -- A jury on Tuesday found abortion practitioner Brian Finkel guilty of 24 counts of sexual abuse. More than 60 women complained Finkel inappropriately touched them and, in some cases, their sexual organs, during abortions and examinations.

Finkel was acquitted of 34 of the counts, including all of the sexual assault charges. Jurors were undecided on four of the charges.

However, more than 30 women testified that Finkel groped or touched them and that was enough for the jury to issue a verdict against Finkel after deliberating for fourteen days. Though they had never met each other, the victims told of similar patterns of harassment.

Cindi Nannetti, a deputy county attorney, told jurors before the deliberations began, "To find him not guilty would mean you didn't believe their stories."

During the trial, a woman who worked as one of his medical assistants says she quit her job at the abortion facility in large part because of Finkel's conduct.

Dawn Normoyle, 35, said she smacked Finkel on the arm once and told him to stop touching the private parts of a woman during an exam.

"It didn't seem like it was right," Normoyle told the jury, but "he told me that's how he does pelvic exams." Now living in Florida, she worked for Finkel in 1994 and 1995.

According to the Arizona Republic newspaper, Finkel sat stoically as the verdict was read. Some of the women whom Finkel had abused were sitting in the gallery and they applauded as the guilty charge was rendered.

Finkel claimed he did nothing wrong and that the touching of women's breasts and private parts were part of standard medical procedure. A South Dakota abortion practitioner disputed his claim.

Finkel's attorney Richard Gierloff also claimed that police had put ideas the heads of the victim by asking them questions with specifics when they did not remember exactly what had happened. Gierloff said testimony during the trial from several women didn't match the original description of the allegations given to police.

Finkel is expected to appeal the decision and a date for sentencing was not announced.

Pro-life groups were pleased with the ruling and said Finkel's conduct shows the abortion industry's view of women.

"It was his total lack of regard for the women that [was] his downfall," John Jakubczyk, president of Arizona Right to Life, told LifeNews.com.

Finkel performs approximately 20 percent of all abortions in Arizona and has done more than 20,000 over his career.

The trial in Maricopa County Superior Court lasted 12 weeks.

[Mr. Silverback]

ProLife Ping!

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[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Victoria Delsoul]

"It was his total lack of regard for the women that [was] his downfall," John Jakubczyk, president of Arizona Right to Life, told LifeNews.com.

According to this article, Finkel performs approximately 20 percent of all abortions in Arizona and has done more than 20,000 over his career, yet his downfall wasn't the killing of the innocent but improper touching.

[battousai]

How does he sleep at night knowing he is responsible for the death of 20,000 babies....

[Old Professer]

How in the Hell do you do an abortion without touching a woman's private parts?

[Old Professer]

Call me stupid too, I posted the same question before I read your response.

[Old Professer]

Where are all you people coming from?

Seems like everybody who signed up to post this year got lost on the way to someplace else.

Abortion is a grisly procedure, it can only be done by the heartless and it must be done by entering the vaginal tract; now, why would you rationalize a possibly compelling fetish by introducing the ordinary and reputable practice of gynecology to diminish the only understandable motive this sick bastard could have had for the anquish he caused these misguided women?

[Old Professer]

One must be careful using the term "blown away" in a thread on this topic, the thought police never sleep.

[Old Professer]

on the inside, it's pretty numb...

I'm just going to let that rest there.

[mcg1969]

Dude, relax. I agree the guy's a pervert, and I'm totally glad he's headed to jail for a long time. I also wish he could be tried for mass murder in this country, too. But since he can't be, I'll gladly take anything to get him to stop murdering babies. So I'm not rationalizing his behavior at all.

I was just commenting that it seems a bit of a stretch to dwell on some connection between his perversion and his abortion practice---when, sadly, tragically, perversion seems not to discriminate on the basis of profession at all.

Like I said, I sure am glad he's out of the murder business, permanently.

[Old Professer]

Had he been an ordinary gynecologist, there is no way that over 30 women would have been required for him to be brought to trial; abortionists are protected under special laws and these women had a difficult time getting this guy to justice.

I'm not even sure I accept that he had a sexual motive; I think he was no different than the meatcutter in your local market who was just callous to his behavior.

[mcg1969]

You make a good point, Old Professer.

[nickcarraway]

ping

[Augustinefan]

EWWWWWW.....they were groped by THAT???? To think they would even LET a creep that looked like that come near them is amazing to me. Sorry, but I don't buy the "gee, he was a doctor, I thought he knew what he was doing" thing. I'm glad some women finally had the guts to call his butt on the carpet for it. I'm just sorry we didn't catch him 20,000 abortions ago!

[Augustinefan]

There is a vast difference between a pelvic exam (which doesn't involve clitoral stimulation techniques this creep used) and what this jerk did. Even if you are anti-life, you have to wonder about the "women's groups" who supported his sorry butt. Talk about sleeping with the enemy!

And last I checked, unless the women were in for a "well woman exam", breast exams are NOT part of the deal. In each case, from the way it's been reported, the women were there for an abortion...not a "well woman exam". Ergo, no touchy the breastie.

[presidio9]

I'm not saying I'm not glad this a-hole's no longer performing his infanticides. I just find it very hard to raise much sympathy for the mothers...

[ArrogantBustard]

Um... That would be Convicted Pervert Brian Finkel.

[Augustinefan]

You would need to read the actual case testimony to understand the difference. From what I understand, one woman actually saw the creep rub himself against her leg while he did this. Let's just say I've NEVER had anything like THAT happen by a doc, and I'm preggo with my sixth baby!

[Augustinefan]

I think the big thing here is the irony of the anti-life types who would defend (and did) this creep's reputation JUST because he is an abortionist. Intellegent people can put two and two together and understand it isn't a stretch for a creep that murders innocent babies before they are born would also feel entitled to behaviour of this kind. I guess it's a little amazing to see how the anti-life groups that DID act astonished even COULD act astonished. Let's think about it...a man makes his living destroying vulnerable babies before birth and collects money from the mothers of these babies as a murderer for hire...I can see where he might not have a whole lot of respect for women. Not that this justifies his behaviour, but it does explain it to a small degree.

[Augustinefan]

I understand where you're coming from. You have a pure vision as to who the real victim in this is and the real victim(s) didn't really get any justice. I respect that concept. We need people like you to fight this thing.

However, I've been on the other end of the phone when a woman was desperate and wanting information about abortion. Having a hostile mentality towards someone who is acting on desperation won't win the battle of the heart. That can only be won one mother at a time. To show our outrage of the dual victimization of the mother is reasonable. This creep took advantage of a woman's panic and capitalized on it by offering to perform the abortion in the first place. No matter what you think of her, you have to hold him in higher contempt because he's a medical doctor. He KNOWS what he's doing and is just rationalizing it to justify taking their money. To add insult to injury, he violated the patient doctor trust by fondling them. The first injury is truly greater than the second. We should, however, be outraged at both. It's sick to think this man holds an M.D. after his name. Those initials (normally) command respect.

But then, any doctor that does abortions is a prostitute of his/her profession and doesn't deserve the M.D. after his/her name.