Abraham Leon Halpern, M.D. Born 2/2/1925 in Warsaw, Poland. Died 4/20/2013 as a result of an earlier fall. His family emigrated to Canada in 1927. As a teenager, he joined the Royal Canadian Navy serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters during WWII. After the Korean War, he was honorably discharged at the rank of Lieutenant Surgeon Commander. A medical school graduate of the University of Toronto, he practiced psychiatry for over 50 years and was a leader in the subspecialty of forensic psychiatry. Awards from the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, and from many other organizations of medicine reflect a life dedicated to human rights. He marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, fought against China’s torture of the Falun Gong and illegal organ transplantation, the misuse of the insanity defense, and forced psychiatric hospitalization without judicial review. He was a national and international leader against the involvement of physicians in capital punishment and also physician participation in coerced interrogations of prisoners. All were subject of his prolific publications. He is survived by his beloved wife Marilyn, and his loved children (and spouses) Howard, Lon (Barbara), Marnen (Herdis), Chaia (Adam), Mark (Tomoko), Emily, and John. He was an adoring grandfather of 11 and great-grandfather of 5. Services will be at Zion Memorial Chapel, 785 E. Boston Post Road, Mamaroneck, NY on 4/23/2013 at 11AM, Interment to follow at King David Cemetery in Putnam Valley.
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