Barnett Slepian
Encyclopedia
Barnett Slepian was an American
physician
and OB/GYN who was murdered in his home by anti-abortion militant James Charles Kopp
.
Dr. Slepian worked at Buffalo GYN Womenservices, Inc. in Buffalo, New York
providing abortion for members of the local and surrounding communities. He also ran his own private OB/GYN practice in Amherst, New York. Slepian was sympathetic to the beliefs of those who opposed abortion, saying, "Abortion is undeniably the taking of potential life. It is not pretty. It is not easy. And in a perfect world, it would not be necessary."
On October 23, 1998, Dr. Slepian had returned from synagogue
, where he was attending a memorial service for his father, and was preparing soup in his kitchen when Kopp shot him through a window. The bullet shattered his spine and tore his aorta, barely missing his son's head as it exited. He died two hours later. Earlier that afternoon, Slepian's wife Lynne had forwarded a warning of potential attacks on her husband to a local police inspector.
Within days of Dr. Slepian's murder, pro-life
groups rallied and staged clinic confrontations in Buffalo and Rochester, New York
. While local leaders from both sides of the abortion debate
decried these rallies as potential incitements to further violence, more extreme members of the pro-life community, such as Flip Benham
of Operation Rescue
, labeled calls for nonviolence "pitiful" and suggested that unless abortion was outlawed, "we are in store for more bloodshed in the streets—the likes of which will sicken even the sturdiest among us."
Following Dr. Slepian's murder, Kopp fled the U.S., but was arrested in France
and extradited. He was tried and convicted of second-degree murder in Buffalo, New York
and is currently serving a 25 years to life term of imprisonment.
This murder was the climax of a series of five sniper attacks in four years in northern New York
and Canada
. Dr. Slepian was the fourth doctor and up to that time the seventh person in the USA to be murdered for performing abortions. Following Dr. Slepian's murder, local pro-choice and pro-life activists joined together to deplore the murder.
The Ani DiFranco
song Hello Birmingham, from her 1999 album To The Teeth
, was written as a response to the Slepian murder.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and OB/GYN who was murdered in his home by anti-abortion militant James Charles Kopp
James Charles Kopp
James Charles Kopp is an American citizen who was convicted in 2003 for the 1998 sniper-style murder of Dr. Barnett Slepian, an American physician from Amherst, New York who performed abortions. Prior to his capture, Kopp was on the FBI's list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. On June 7, 1999 he had...
.
Dr. Slepian worked at Buffalo GYN Womenservices, Inc. in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
providing abortion for members of the local and surrounding communities. He also ran his own private OB/GYN practice in Amherst, New York. Slepian was sympathetic to the beliefs of those who opposed abortion, saying, "Abortion is undeniably the taking of potential life. It is not pretty. It is not easy. And in a perfect world, it would not be necessary."
On October 23, 1998, Dr. Slepian had returned from synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, where he was attending a memorial service for his father, and was preparing soup in his kitchen when Kopp shot him through a window. The bullet shattered his spine and tore his aorta, barely missing his son's head as it exited. He died two hours later. Earlier that afternoon, Slepian's wife Lynne had forwarded a warning of potential attacks on her husband to a local police inspector.
Within days of Dr. Slepian's murder, pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
groups rallied and staged clinic confrontations in Buffalo and Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
. While local leaders from both sides of the abortion debate
Abortion debate
The abortion debate refers to discussion and controversy surrounding the moral and legal status of abortion. The two main groups involved in the abortion debate are the self-described "pro-choice" movement and the "pro-life" movement...
decried these rallies as potential incitements to further violence, more extreme members of the pro-life community, such as Flip Benham
Flip Benham
Philip "Flip" Benham is an evangelical Christian minister and the national leader of Concord, North Carolina-based Operation Save America.-Pro-life ministry:...
of Operation Rescue
Operation Rescue
Operation Rescue is a pro-life organization which originated in California and is now based in Kansas....
, labeled calls for nonviolence "pitiful" and suggested that unless abortion was outlawed, "we are in store for more bloodshed in the streets—the likes of which will sicken even the sturdiest among us."
Following Dr. Slepian's murder, Kopp fled the U.S., but was arrested in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and extradited. He was tried and convicted of second-degree murder in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and is currently serving a 25 years to life term of imprisonment.
This murder was the climax of a series of five sniper attacks in four years in northern New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Dr. Slepian was the fourth doctor and up to that time the seventh person in the USA to be murdered for performing abortions. Following Dr. Slepian's murder, local pro-choice and pro-life activists joined together to deplore the murder.
The Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
song Hello Birmingham, from her 1999 album To The Teeth
To the Teeth
To the Teeth is singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco's tenth studio album , released in November 1999.To the Teeth has a more political and self-questioning edge than many of her earlier works...
, was written as a response to the Slepian murder.
See also
- Anti-abortion violence in the United States
- Abortion-related violence
- David Gunn (doctor)David Gunn (doctor)David Gunn was an American physician. He received his bachelors degree from Vanderbilt University and earned his M.D. at the University of Kentucky. Gunn moved to Brewton, Alabama, after his residency, choosing to provide OB/GYN and abortion services in rural America.Gunn was murdered in...
- Eric Robert RudolphEric Robert RudolphEric Robert Rudolph , also known as the Olympic Park Bomber, is a criminal responsible for a series of bombings across the southern United States between 1996 and 1998, which killed two people and injured at least 150 others in the name of an anti-abortion and anti-gay agenda...
- George TillerGeorge TillerGeorge Richard Tiller, MD was an American physician from Wichita, Kansas. He was the medical director of a clinic in Wichita, Women's Health Care Services, one of only three nationwide which provided abortions after the 21st week of pregnancy .Pro-life group Operation Rescue kept a daily vigil...
- Christian terrorism