No License, No Accreditation, Sexual Predator on Staff
Elizabeth, NJ — After months of investigation, Operation Rescue has uncovered evidence of what can only be an unlicensed, unaccredited abortion operation in Elizabeth, New Jersey. American Women’s Services, also known as Associates in Obstetrics and Gynocology, may be operating without a license at 700 N Broad Street, and this isn’t the first time this clinic has been involved in reckless or illegal operations.
The History
“It was no surprise when our investigative team received a tip that this AWS abortion operation seemed suspicious,” says Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “The American Women’s Services abortion chain was once solely owned by infamous abortionist Steven Chase Brigham — a man whose New Jersey medical license was fully revoked in 2019 for operating an illegal bi-state late-term abortion scheme.”
The abortion scheme, which was only discovered when an 18-year-old girl was injured so badly during a botched abortion that she had to be life-flighted, is only one of Brigham’s endless documented crimes and horrors. He has had as many as six medical licenses revoked or surrendered, and even faced murder charges when police discovered the bodies of 34 late-term aborted babies found in a bloody freezer at his clandestine Elkton facility in Maryland.
“Though Brigham can no longer practice medicine in any state,” says Newman, “his criminality is unrelenting. He has consistently found ways to profit from his network of abortion businesses through an elaborate shell game of companies, DBAs, and ever-changing registered agents. We have no doubt that he is involved in this unlicensed clinic.”
The Evidence
A public records request made to the New Jersey Department of Health on May 4 confirmed that no licensing records existed for either “American Women’s Services” or “Associates in Obstetrics and Gynocology” at the 700 N Broad Street location.
Currently, abortion clinics in New Jersey are still required to gain a license through the Department of Health and undergo periodic inspections — just like every other ambulatory center. Of course, abortion radicals are actively trying to change that. A dangerous bill introduced in the legislature earlier this year would strip away those commonsense regulations and create a free pass for abortion clinics to operate with no oversight.
However, that bill has yet to pass, and a response dated May 13 from the New Jersey Department of Health states, “The NJDOH Office of Certificate of Need and Licensing was unable to locate any records potentially responsive to this request.”
Despite being unable to verify any licensing from the state, a call made to this business on June 9 confirmed that appointments for both surgical and medical abortion appointments were available at this location, some within seven days.
“Abortions are happening here,” adds Newman, “and if the state has not issued a license, then New Jersey officials are compelled to investigate and shut down this illegal clinic.”
Operation Rescue also found evidence that American Women’s Services is deceiving women about their accreditation. The website for this clinic currently claims it is “Inspected, certified & accredited by the A.A.A.A.S.F.”
The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities is now known as Quad A. On June 8, Quad A confirmed that the accreditation for “Associates in OBGYN American Associates Women’s Services” located at 700 N Broad Street, Suite 202, expired on June 29, 2025.
“For at least a year, possibly longer, this dump has been promoting itself as a licensed, accredited medical facility, misleading women, killing their children, and making a profit from all of it. This is not a healthcare facility, it is a criminal enterprise,” Newman comments.
The Sexual Predator
Richard Howard Blum is featured in Operation Rescue’s “Dirty Doctors Digest,” an ongoing project which exposes sexual predators in the abortion industry, many still licensed.
In 2008, the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners ordered that Blum must always have a chaperone present for breast or pelvic exams, with patients fully gowned anywhere he practiced.
In 2018, Blum was found violating this order. He tried to claim that he simply “honored certain patients’ rights to decline a chaperone,” but the Board wisely did not accept that excuse. Instead, a Consent Order signed in 2021 stipulates that Blum must have a Board-approved chaperone when treating any female patient, as well as “a sign in his office that he provides a chaperone when examining female patients.”
So far, Blum is the only current abortionist Operation Rescue has connected to the AWS clinic. He holds a Controlled Dangerous Substance license in New Jersey, which lists his address as 700 N Broad Street, Suite 202. It has been reported to Operation Rescue that no signage like that required by the Consent Order appears visible in the lobby of the clinic.
Blum not only has a documented history of sexual misconduct and non-compliance, he was also involved in Brigham’s illegal bi-state late-term abortion scheme. Blum is mentioned by name in the investigation, assisting with at least one of the illegal abortions.
A Neverending Shell Game
Richard Blum is also the abortionist that ended up owning Brigham’s New Jersey clinics.
When Brigham’s medical license was revoked in 2014, he supposedly transferred “ownership” of his New Jersey clinics to his AWS medical director, octogenarian Vikram Kaji, who had suffered a stroke and was mentally impaired. He is also listed in OR’s Dirty Doctors Digest for sexual abuse of at least three patients previous to his medical issues.
In 2015, Kaji would be questioned by state officials about his ownership of the New Jersey clinics. Seemingly confused and unaware of the situation, Kaji answered that Brigham was “the only one who runs the show.”
By 2019, Kaji’s medical license was also revoked. He then “sold” Brigham’s New Jersey businesses to Blum for the grand total of one dollar. Operation Rescue has not found any evidence that Blum ever sold the businesses. He is presumed to still be the owner — and still letting Brigham “run the show.”
New Jersey Officials Must Act
An unlicensed, unaccredited back-alley abortion clinic should warrant an investigation in any state, regardless of abortion policies. This particular clinic is also part of a chain that has already undergone multiple investigations, operated illegally across states, and is tied to nothing but disgraced abortionists who are known sexual predators.
“Nothing about this abortion business deserves special protection,” says Newman, “and letting it continue to operate unquestionably puts women in danger of abuse, injury, and exploitation. State officials must act.”
Operation Rescue has already submitted two complaints, one to the New Jersey Department of Health and one to the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners.
“We have provided all the evidence these two regulatory agencies need to start an immediate investigation,” Newman adds. “We pray they take action quickly and bar this sham of a business from deceiving the public ever again.”
This article was originally published by Operation Rescue, a leading pro-life, Christian activist organization dedicated to exposing abortion abuses, demanding enforcement, saving innocent lives, and building an abortion-free America. The author, Sarah Neely, is Chief Operating Officer for Operation Rescue.
