The National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers is just around the corner – March 10 – but it appears I'm the only one celebrating this year.

Not one national abortion website is showcasing this exciting holiday. Popularity may be dwindling because it is so difficult to show appreciation to abortionists. Heroin and child porn are two of those hard to find gifts.

Despite the abortion industry's diss, I will do my part to honor these special shop choppers with my 4th annual Abortionist of the Year award.

This year's gang is exceptional. I am reminded of the 1967 Academy Awards, when "The Graduate," "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" "Cool Hand Luke," "Dr. Dolittle," "In Cold Blood," "In the Heat of the Night," "Camelot" and "Bonnie & Clyde" all competed for Oscars. How do you choose?

(Column continues below)

Of course, abortionists would pick "In Cold Blood," but I digress. Here are the nominees, in alpha order to be fair:

• Malachy DeHenre: Found guilty this January for murdering his wife after losing his medical license in Alabama, New York and Mississippi for botched abortions, rape, and death of a patient.
   
• Alberto Hodari: Late-termer caught on videotape in November speaking to Medical Students for Choice at Wayne State University in Michigan, invited despite having been previously accused of killing two patients. Hodari bragged about lying to patients and families and not washing hands between abortions, among other grossities.
   
• George Kabacy: Former Oregon Planned Parenthood slice-and-dicer who pleaded guilty in Washington state in November for engaging in and advertising child porn. Kabacy was also accused but never convicted of killing a patient.
   
• Deborah Lyn Levich: Allowed her Alabama medical license to expire last January after being charged with letting non-physicians commit abortions, underestimating fetal gestational age, falsifying records, committing illegal abortions and failing to treat a patient in dire straits. Levich is still licensed to practice in Georgia.
   
• Rapin Osathanondh: Surrendered his Massachusetts medical license voluntarily last month after allegedly killing 22-year-old Laura Smith in September with an anesthesia overdose.
   
• James Pendergraft: Had his Florida license suspended one year in December and was fined $10,000 for committing an illegal late-term abortion that resulted in a brain-damaged baby. Previously imprisoned in 2001 for extortion. In 2005, one of his five clinics turned away paramedics responding to a call by a mother inside whose baby was aborted alive and allowed to die.
   
• Laurence Reich: Charged in California last month for practicing medicine without a license after having it revoked in 2005 for molesting patients.
   
• Hamid Hussain Sheikh: Indicted in November by Kentucky officials for defrauding Medicaid.
   
• Sheldon Turkish: In a case making its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, Turkish has been charged for committing an abortion without informed consent, including lying that a patient was not carrying human life.

You see? I told you this was a killer year.

The tension is so thick as I prepare to announce the winner, an abortionist would want to cut it with a knife. So I had better made this quick.

And the winner is …

Laurence Reich! Congratulations!

Here is the rest of Reich's exciting portfolio.

Reich's rap sheet dates back to the 1970s, when he was accused by patients of fondling, oral sex, rape and an incomplete abortion.

In 1982, Reich was arrested for battery, sexual misconduct and impersonating a doctor when he was actually an osteopath. The latter in particular aggravated the California Osteopathic Medical Board, which put him on probation for 10 years. Two charges levied during that time showed Reich didn't listen well.

In 1984, Reich pleaded "no contest" to four of 28 criminal charges by Santa Monica prosecutors including the aforementioned plus prescribing medicine without a license, assault and trying to coerce patients not to testify. He was fined $3,200 and received no jail time.

In 2000 and 2003, patients filed complaints against Reich for sexual misconduct.

Meanwhile, in 2002, Reich was arrested for sexual battery and sexual exploitation.

The Osteopathic Board delayed taking any action.

Finally, after CNN ran an expose on Reich in 2005, even pro-abortion Sen. Barbara Boxer called for his license revocation, and the Board finally complied in 2006.

That didn't stop our boy, though. Just two weeks ago Reich was arrested in Los Angeles for practicing medicine without a license – abortions, of course.

But pro-aborts need not fear. Reich is now free on $60,000 bond.

Congratulations again to Laurence Reich for winning the 4th Annual Abortionist of the Year Award!

I'll be happy to mail it if Reich hasn't fled the country, as abortionists so often do when getting into jams like this.

Related special offers:

"ENDING ABORTION: How the pro-life side will win the war"

"Lime 5: Exploited by Choice"