Kansas Abortion-Sexual Abuse Records Case Has Sept. Hearing 
Email this article
Printer friendly page
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
June 13, 2005
Topeka, KS (LifeNews.com) — The Kansas Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on September 8 to determine whether two abortion facilities should be allowed to hold up sexual abuse investigations concerning former patients.
Attorney General Phill Kline wants to obtain medical records from the abortion businesses to aide in his investigation of dozens of potential statutory abuse cases.
Kline is also looking into why the girls had potentially illegal abortions and why the abortion businesses did not report the possible rapes to authorities.
Last year a Shawnee County judge issued subpoenas for the records of 90 patients from George Tiller’s late-term abortion facility in Wichita and the Overland Park abortion business run by Planned Parenthood.
Both have asked the state Supreme Court to overturn the subpoenas.
Officials at the abortion facilities say turning over medical records to authorities would violate the privacy of the young women.
Kline has confirmed that his office would never release any personal information to the public.
"Child rape is a serious crime, and when a 10-year-old is pregnant, she has been raped under Kansas law," Kline has said. "As the state’s chief law enforcement official, I have a duty to investigate in order to protect Kansas children."
Last month, the Kansas Supreme Court decided it will not seal documents related to the investigation.
While abortion advocates claim Kline’s request for records would violate the privacy rights of the girls involve, he says his investigation was secret until media outlets and the abortion businesses ballooned the story.
"This inquiry has been ongoing for over a year and, until two abortion clinics sought to make public this criminal investigation, was conducted in private so as to protect the identities of innocent individuals and the integrity of the investigation," Kline explained.
Kline worries that abortion businesses are informing those girls who had abortions and that the information could tip off criminals who were responsible for the statutory rapes.
Indiana’s attorney general is conducting a similar investigation in his state and abortion advocates there are also seeking to hold it up.
Related web sites:
Kansans for Life – https://www.kfl.org
Kansas Supreme Court – https://www.kscourts.org
Attorney General’s office – https://www.ksag.org
