Woman’s Family Wants Grand Jury to Investigate Kansas Abortion Death 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 17, 2006
Wichita, KS (LifeNews.com) — Family and supporters of a mentally disabled woman who died from a legal abortion in January 2005 say they are putting together a petition drive to get a Kansas county to convene a grand jury to investigate the death. Wichita late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller has not been charged in the case.
Christin A. Gilbert, who was 19, died after a third-trimester abortion on January 13, 2005. After the botched abortion, Gilbert was rushed into the Wesley Medical Center ER, followed by Tiller moments later.
In November, the Kansas Board of Healing Arts claimed neither he nor his staff were responsible for the botched abortion death and refused to press charges.
A family source has told the pro-life group Operation Rescue, which witnessed an ambulance taking Gilbert to the hospital, that Gilbert would not have wanted the abortion. They are putting together a petition drive to force Sedgwick County to issue a grand jury investigation.
According to Kansas law, a grand jury must convene within 60 days of the submission of a required number of signatures of registered voters. Those signatures are due to be submitted on March 1, 2006.
Gilbert suffered complications during her abortion that were not fully diagnosed, an autopsy concluded.
In Tarrant County, Texas, where Gilbert lived, a Grand Jury convened last year to probe allegations of felony sexual assault that led to Gilbert’s pregnancy. That Grand Jury is still investigating.
"The abortion lobby told the nation that the 1973 Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade would make abortion ‘safe and legal’ for women," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.
"It may have decriminalized abortion, but it did not make it safe — not for Christin Gilbert nor the thousands of other women who have died from slipshod abortions in the past 33 years,” he added.
After investigating the case, the Kansas medical board determined that Tiller complied with state laws and health care standards in his treatment of the woman, despite eventually killing her.
Cheryl Sullenger, of Operation Rescue, explained that Tiller sent Gilbert to a local hotel after the abortion "even though her condition was worsening" following the botched abortion.
"I believe that every Kansan should be concerned about the Board being unwilling to do their job to police the medical profession and protect the health and safety of patients. Because they steadfastly refuse to do their jobs, all Kansans are at risk," she added.
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Related web sites:
Justice for Christin – https://justiceforchristin.com
