by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 18, 2005
Lakewood,
NJ (LifeNews.com) -- In a clear violation of medical standards and
state law, an abortion practitioner's receptionist has been charged
with injecting abortion drugs into three women without her employer's
knowledge.
Liza Berdiel, an employee at the Pleasant Woman's Pavilion abortion business was charged with three counts of practicing medicine without a license, according to an Associated Press report.
Berdiel was also charged with thee counts of theft by deception for charging each of the women $380 for the illegal abortions, which occurred during November and December 2004.
The abortion facility employee also faces charges related to theft and forgery for using a stolen prescription pad to write an illegal prescription for a patient, AP reorted.
Berdiel was arrested Thursday but released after
posting a $20,000 bail. She was working for abortion practitioner Flavius
Thompson and performed the abortions after business hours when he was
not working.
"She was doing this without the doctor's knowledge,'' Lt. Robert
Urie said. ``It was something pre-arranged. They may have thought this
was under the doctor's care, but she was doing it during non-office
hours, when he was out of the office.''
Thompson has cooperated with authorities and
is not being charged in the cases.
Lt. Jeff Harper, a spokesman for Ocean County Prosecutor Thomas F. Kelaher,
told the Associated Press that the women had all sought the abortions.
Harper declined to identify the informant who tipped off police about Berdiel's actions.
Pro-life groups said the incidents point to the need to further regulate abortion facilities.
" This investigation exposes some of the
many abuses that occur daily inside the so-called `safe and legal' abortion
industry,'' said Marie Tasy, executive director of New Jersey Right
to Life.
