Abortion doctor gets 34 years for sex abuse

After deliberating for two weeks, an Arizona jury yesterday sentenced one of the nation's most prominent abortion doctors to more than 34 years behind bars for sexually abusing his patients over a 20-year period.

Dr. Brian Finkel will be on probation for the rest of his life, and must register as a sex offender, in the event the 56-year-old Phoenix-area doctor ever gets out of prison, reports the Arizona Republic.

As WorldNetDaily reported last month, the jury convicted Finkel on 22 counts of sex abuse.

Finkel reportedly performed more than 30,000 abortions over two decades in his Phoenix practice, and often appeared on network television shows during the 1990s, reports the Arizona paper. Finkel was often seen denouncing abortion protesters and comparing them with terrorists.

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Dr. Brian Finkel as verdicts are read yesterday (Photo: Arizona Republic)

During the trial, Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley commended the courage of the 32 accusers who stepped forward to report they were abused at Finkel's abortion clinic.

"A doctor who had abused the trust of his patients by sexually abusing them will no longer do that again," Romley told the Phoenix paper.

Janet Jorgensen of Phoenix, who accused Finkel of abusing her 15 years ago, told the Republic she was thrilled even though he was acquitted of some counts, and all counts involving her case came back not guilty.

"I think most victims went into this for one thing: That he never hurt another woman," said Jorgenson, who added she bears no malice toward him.

"I pray for his salvation," she said. "I pray he will find his way to understand what he did because I don't think he does."

Phoenix police said one of the chief obstacles to their investigation of Finkel was that 90 percent of the women who have now come forward since news of his arrest never filed a police report, according to the Arizona Republic.