Today in History: Abortion-performing doctor is murdered by sniper
It is believed that the murder dates were intentionally picked to centre on Canada’s Remembrance Day (11 November).
On this day in 1998, Doctor Barnett Slepian was shot to death inside his home in Amherst, New York, by an anti-abortion radical.
The murder marked the fifth straight year that a doctor who was willing to perform abortions in upstate New York and Canada had been the victim of a sniper attack. Slepian and his family had just returned from religious services at their synagogue when a bullet shattered the kitchen window and struck him in the back.
Each of the five attacks, the first four of which did not result in fatal wounds, occurred in late October or early November.
Investigators in both Canada and the United States believed that James Charles Kopp, known among abortion opponents as ‘Atomic Dog’, was responsible for Slepian’s murder. Although he had been seen in the vicinity of Slepian’s home in the weeks before the killing, Kopp was nowhere to be found after the incident.
In the aftermath of Slepian’s murder, at least four abortion doctors in upstate New York stopped practising, and countless other clinic staff members left their jobs. Because groups such as the American Coalition of Life Activists had openly promoted violence against abortion providers, there was some reason to believe that the atmosphere of fear had limited women’s ability to choose abortion in certain areas of America.
Following Slepian’s murder, a serious crackdown on anti-abortion terror helped to cut down the number of violent incidents. In 1999, for the first time in six years, there were no sniper attacks against any doctors during the course of the year.
As the 20th century came to an end, Kopp remained at large, despite a $500 000 reward for information leading to his capture from the Justice Department and his place on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List.
In March 2001, authorities caught up with Kopp in Europe, and he was extradited from France on the condition he would not receive the death penalty. On 9 May 2003, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to let your voice be heard!
