UPDATE: The judge has ruled against Dr. Robert Alexander on two counts, negligence and incompetence. The matter goes before the Board of Medicine on September 17. The original story appears below.
Gena Rinckey and Lynn Mills became “fast friends” when they connected on Facebook over their mutual concern about abortion clinics.
In particular, they were outraged that Dr. Robert Alexander was allowed to run an abortion clinic despite his spotty record–a record which could end with his license revoked by the state.
Clik here to view.
Dr. Alexander’s former clinic (WOOD TV)
On September 3, an official hearing was held to determine his fate. A decision could come at any moment.
To get their thoughts on the story, we spoke with Lynn and Gena. Gena has reported extensively on the case for Watchdog Wire with the help of Lynn.
Gena explained that when she learned of Dr. Alexander’s clinic closing down, she wanted to investigate further.
“The closing of Dr. Alexander’s abortion clinic was on December 26, 2012. I decided to follow up on it as months later I had heard no follow up on it from other news outlets – it basically fell off their radar,” she said. “The original story stuck with me as I could not believe that Dr. Alexander was operating his ‘House of Horrors’ only half an hour from my home.”
The hearing
Lynn said the hearing, which she attended, did not go well for Dr. Alexander.
“He was overbearing with the judge and [state] attorney,” she said, adding that the state attorneys thought the case against Dr. Alexander “went better than they hoped.”
The pro-life group Operation Rescue reported on the hearing:
Alexander testified for slightly under an hour, detailing his battle with bi-polar disorder since he was 19-years old. Alexander read a lengthy list of symptoms experienced by those with that mental illness and told the administrative judge that he is heavily medicated in order to manage his condition, taking Lithium three times per day and Prozac twice a day. Alexander claims to be under the regular care of a psychiatrist and a psychologist.
Alexander also inexplicably maintained that he should be allowed to continue practicing despite his mental illness under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“I mean, to be honest with you, as I listen to Dr. Alexander tell me about all the various symptoms that a person may have, I question whether anyone should be practicing medicine with a lot of those symptoms,” said the judge who oversaw the proceedings.
Clik here to view.
Dr. Alexander (Photo from Lynn Mills)
Gena couldn’t attend the hearing, but she was there in spirit. Dr. Alexander even asked to see her, indicating that he’s familiar with her Watchdog Wire stories.
“Lynn told me that before the hearing, he asked her where I was and if I was there,” Gena explained. “The only way he could have known who I was was if he had been following my stories. That was a bit of a shocker that his memory is so insanely good given that I have never met the man or seen him in person. It was also really creepy for me.”
Lynn described Dr. Alexander as “personable” and “friendly,” saying that she feels “piety” for him.
“He was very friendly the other day. He took my hand and asked me to trust him,” she said. “He was personable. I have to check myself right now for the piety I have in my heart for him. Tons of lies coming out of his mouth. He has a great memory, except for the lie he told ten minutes before.”
During the hearing, Dr. Alexander acted strangely. He had just one witness testify on his behalf, the owner of the building which housed his abortion clinic. Gena felt pity for his former patients that testified.
“I felt bad for the witnesses who had to testify,” she said. “Crime scene photos of his clinic were shown, and I’m sure that was a difficult thing for those witnesses to see again. I’m sure they were not pretty. These are things people just cannot “unsee” once they have seen them.”
Following the story
Once the judge’s decision comes down, it will be up to the Board of Medicine to strip Dr. Alexander of his license. At this time it is unclear when that final decision will be made.
Gena won’t stop following this case simply just because a ruling has been made. She’s determined to make sure the reforms that took place following her reporting on Dr. Alexander remain intact and enforced.
Clik here to view.
Gena Rinckey, Citizen Journalist
“A year and a half later and finally we are one step closer to a resolution,” she said.
Late last year the Michigan legislature passed a package of four bills to increase oversight and transparency at the state’s Board of Medicine. It is widely believed that Dr. Alexander was the beneficiary of favoritism that allowed him to regain his license after losing it twice since the late eighties.
Alexander even went to prison for his part of an illegal drug conspiracy. He became an abortionist out of desperation, it would seem. After all, what respected medical organization would hire him?
Yet after losing his clinic, Dr. Alexander went to work for a taxpayer-funded health clinic, as reported by Gena. When the mainstream media gave up on this story, she went a step further and uncovered the facts.
No matter where this story takes her, Gena is armed and ready, a consummate citizen journalist.
“People don’t realize that being armed with a recording device, a camera and a notepad can often be all you need to pull a great story together,” she said. “I never leave home without these items because I never know what I might see, hear or learn.”