The Killing of Dr Barnett Slepian: A Chilling Chapter in the History of Anti-Abortion Violence
- dthholland
- 8 hours ago
- 4 min read
In the autumn of 1998, a tragic act of violence in suburban New York captured the growing tension at the heart of America’s abortion debate. Dr Barnett Slepian, a respected obstetrician and abortion provider, was shot dead in his own kitchen in Amherst, a quiet town outside Buffalo. The killing was not an isolated outrage but the grim culmination of a disturbing pattern: for five consecutive years, physicians in upstate New York and Canada who performed abortions were targeted by a hidden sniper.
Barnett Slepian, 52 years old and a father of four, had just returned from Friday night services at his local synagogue when the assassin’s bullet found him. While his wife and children were elsewhere in the house, a single high-powered round, fired through the kitchen window, struck him in the chest. The shot shattered his spine and severed his aorta, injuries too severe to survive. Emergency services could do little more than confirm the worst.
An Elusive Figure: The “Atomic Dog”
Almost immediately, suspicion centred on James Charles Kopp — a militant anti-abortion activist already known to law enforcement across North America. Within circles of the extremist group Army of God, Kopp had earned the moniker “Atomic Dog”, an alias that underscored both his underground status and the fanatical reverence he commanded. He had been sighted near the Slepian family home in the days leading up to the killing, yet vanished without trace immediately afterwards.
Even more chilling was what followed online. Within hours of the doctor’s death, Slepian’s name was crossed out on an anti-abortion website — a grim feature of what activists dubbed the “Nuremberg Files”, an internet-based roster that effectively served as a hit list. Other doctors found their own names highlighted in bold, with addresses and personal details openly posted as if daring the next extremist to strike.
Consequences and Fear
Slepian’s murder had a profound effect on the medical community in the region. At least four other physicians in upstate New York gave up performing abortions altogether, and numerous nurses and clinic workers quietly left the profession, fearing they too might face a sniper’s bullet on an ordinary evening at home.
In response, American authorities escalated security at clinics and undertook a more forceful clampdown on radical anti-abortion factions. The public outcry and tightened vigilance had an immediate impact: for the first time in six years, no abortion provider was wounded by sniper fire in 1999. Yet Kopp himself remained elusive, slipping through international borders and evading one of the largest manhunts of the era.
Capture Abroad: A Fugitive’s Downfall
By the turn of the millennium, Kopp was among the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, with a reward of half a million dollars offered for any lead that might bring him in. It would take an unexpected break and the cooperation of European police to close the net.
On 29 March 2001, acting on intelligence, French authorities apprehended Kopp in the small Breton town of Dinan. He had just collected a discreet package containing $300 outside a local post office, a routine that ultimately betrayed him. The United States swiftly requested his extradition, but the process tested international diplomacy: under French law, extradition required guarantees that capital punishment would not be imposed. Then-Attorney General John Ashcroft personally intervened, assuring the French courts that Kopp would not face the death penalty if returned.
Justice at Last
Back in the United States, Kopp chose to forgo a jury trial, instead accepting a streamlined process in which the presiding judge would rule solely on an agreed statement of facts. Kopp admitted to firing the fatal shot but framed it as an attempt merely to wound Dr Slepian — a defence that convinced neither the judge nor the broader public.
On 11 March 2003, the case was heard and, on 9 May that year, Judge Michael D'Amico delivered the maximum sentence permitted under the law: 25 years to life for second-degree murder. In his closing remarks, D'Amico was unflinching: “
It’s clear the act is premeditated; there is no doubt about it. You made an attempt to avoid responsibility for the act. What may appear righteous to you is immoral to someone else.”
The verdict was later upheld by the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, in July 2006. Kopp remains incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution, Mendota, where he continues to serve his sentence — a stark reminder of how extremist ideology can devastate lives far beyond the political arena.
A Lasting Legacy
The murder of Dr Barnett Slepian remains one of the most shocking episodes in the history of violence against abortion providers in North America. It underscores the vulnerability of medical professionals targeted not for malpractice or negligence, but for performing lawful procedures that some believe violate moral codes. Decades on, Slepian’s death continues to shape policy, security, and the fragile discourse around reproductive rights in the United States and beyond.
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