Associated Press Newswires
Copyright 2003. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Thursday, January 2, 2003

Writer, demographer B.Meredith Burke dies at 55

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) - B. Meredith Burke, a demographer and writer who fought for immigration reform, has died. She was 55.

Burke left a suicide note and apparently took her own life Dec. 11, a spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department said.

Burke had a master's degree and a doctorate in demographics from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's in economics from the University of Southern California.

She was a senior writing fellow for Santa Barbara-based Californians for Population Stabilization, where she campaigned to limit immigration through commentaries published in major newspapers.

Burke often argued that U.S. immigration policy was the main factor in sharp rises in California's population and a root cause of environmental degradation.

She was also interested in women's rights and public health issues. She co-authored a book on prenatal testing and founded Lariam Action USA, an information service for users of the anti-malaria drug mefloquine.

There was no immediate information about survivors.