Birmingham, AL – Today, Judge Joseph Boohaker handed down the decision to close an illegal abortion mill being run by Diane Derzis and abortionist Bruce Norman in Birmingham, AL. When Derzis was forced to surrender her license in May 2012, she attempted to switch ownership to a close friend in order to maintain control over the clinic profits. When ADPH denied that plan, Norman decided to attempt opening a “private practice,” unlicensed by the state and deceptively managed by Derzis herself, who claimed over and over to have no connection with the clinic.
Throughout Derzis and Norman’s constant attempts to run a shell game under the state’s radar, the pro-life community continued to remain vigilant and collect evidence against them. Local activists and national organizations including Charismatic Episcopal Church (CEC) For Life, Life Legal Defense Foundation, and Operation Rescue, along with sidewalk counselors in Birmingham and Mississippi, kept unrelenting pressure on the state to shut down what quickly evolved into a back-alley abortion mill.
Judge Boohaker’s decision was a grand reward for that hard work, and well-received by those who have spent years praying for Derzis’ dirty business to see its end in the state of Alabama. Still, in the middle of great appreciation, members of the pro-life community are still concerned over whether or not this decision will be enough to shut the “Abortion Queen” down for good.
“We are thankful for the judge’s decision,” says Rev. Terry Gensemer, director of CEC For Life and long-time Birmingham pastor, “however, the law has definitely been broken by Derzis and Norman, and we believe criminal charges should be filed against them. Though we are encouraged to see the state of Alabama taking action to close the doors of this facility, we will continue to pursue these issues with the Attorney General and other prosecutors. We also continue to pray for both Derzis’ and Norman’s conversion.”