Abortion Business Called Hypocritical in Abortion-Sexual Abuse Investigation

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Feb 26, 2005   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Abortion Business Called Hypocritical in Abortion-Sexual Abuse Investigation Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 26, 2005

Wichita, KS (LifeNews.com) — A late-term abortion facility in Wichita where two women recently died has been called hypocritical in relation to an investigation announced this week by Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline into cases of girls who are victims of statutory rape having abortions.

Kline is requesting documents from two abortion facilities in the state to conduct his investigation. They have resisted his efforts and say that his need for records of 90 girls who had late-term abortions violates their privacy.

However, a Kansas pro-life group says that the Wichita-based abortion business run by late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller invades patient privacy.

Tiller’s business, which is presumably one of the two opposing the investigation, "routinely betrays women’s privacy," according to Kansans for Life director Mary Kay Culp.

Culp points to a page on Tiller’s web site seeking donations to a pro-abortion political action committee he runs and that he used to funnel $150,000 to Kline’s opponent in 2002.

Under a section entitled, "Permissible Uses and Disclosures Without Your Written Authorization," the web site tells women who obtain abortions that they may be contacted with fundraising requests from Tiller’s ProKanDo PAC or requests to financially support his abortion business.

"In connection with any fundraising, we may disclose to out (sic) fundraising staff demographic information about you (e.g., your name, address and phone number) and dates of health care that we provided you," the Tiller web site says.

Patients not wanting their personal information or abortion medical file data to be given to fundraisers must contact Tiller’s office and opt out.

"In other words, abortion patients’ personal information and date of services are automatically released to unidentified fundraisers," Culp says. "This is not only a blatant invasion of privacy, it is emotionally coercive."

Culp’s group issued a press release about the statement Friday morning. By Friday afternoon, it was gone.

Julie Burkhart, a spokeswoman for Tiller’s abortion business, told the Associated Press that it was "a mistake" and has been removed.

"That was actually mistakenly put on there," she said.

Burkhart said Tiller doesn’t disclose a woman’s abortion information with fundraising staff and claimed she had no idea how the statement made its way onto the web site.

"It is unfair and irresponsible to allow certain abortion clinics to deride Attorney General Kline’s attempt to investigate credible allegations of child rape and late-term abortions as ‘a secret inquisition,’" Culp responded.

Related web sites:
Kansans for Life – https://www.kfl.org