The lawsuit filed by a Wichita, Kansas-based landlord, who did not want a new abortion practitioner opening up for business to replace late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller, appears to have succeeded.
Mila Means has reportedly agreed to no do abortions at the space she leases in the commercial complex — a decision that delays the lawsuit the landlord filed but represents a victory for pro-life advocates. In legal documents, Means says she is not doing abortions at the leased office nor does she have plans to do so. She says she will give Foliage Development, the commercial landlord, a 30-day notice if she decides to start doing abortions so it can move forward with any potential legal action.
According to an AP report, Sedgwick County District Judge Douglas Roth suspended the retraining order he granted Foliage Development after it filed suit saying the abortions and the controversy surrounding them would cause a disruption to the business park and for other businesses located there.
“She is not performing abortions at that site at the time being and really doesn’t intend to and is looking for alternative space, so there wasn’t much of a reason to have a hearing,” Means’ attorney Lee Thompson told AP. “The attorneys were able to resolve that by agreement for the time being, preserving everyone’s rights if down the line it becomes an issue again.”
Thompson, who represented Tiller before his shooting death, said Means is not looking to do abortions at the facility Tiller ran, which his family has since closed.
This stipulation has put the lawsuit on hold for at least six months to give Means an opportunity to move. As long as she remains in her office on Harry Street she will not be allowed to do abortions. Means has indicated she would like to open an abortion business in Wichita later this year after she completes her abortion training at the troubled abortion business Aid for Women, in Kansas City, Kansas.
Troy Newman, the head of Operation Rescue, says no one in Wichita has come forward to lease property for Means to do her abortions, he told LifeNews.com.
“Abortion is bad for business. No one wants their property devalued or their neighborhood upset because of an abortionist coming into their area,” he said. “Wherever there is an abortion business, there will also be pro-lifers who seek to offer help to abortion-bound women and educate the community. If some find that disturbing, it is because abortion is a disturbing business that negatively impacts the entire community.”
Meanwhile, Operation Rescue has confirmed that Greg Linhardt, who had entertained the idea of opening his own abortion facility in Wichita, apart from Means, has ceased his training and quit the abortion business for good. Linhardt is an anesthesiologist and plans to continue in that specialty.
“Linhardt did the right thing by quitting and we wish him the best. We are grateful that he made the decision to return to the business of healing,” said Newman. “We will continue to monitor the situation and will take all legal and appropriate measures to insure that Wichita remains abortion free.”
Abortions have not been done in the large central Kansas city since Tillers abortion business closed.
A large group of local pro-life advocates have already protested the opening of a new abortion business and pro-life groups have exposed very recent and troubling personal problems of Means.
According to the suit, Means contacted the landlord for her office located at 9916 E. Harry, Suite 105 in Wichita and told of her intent to begin offering abortions on Saturdays starting sometime later this year. The landlord indicated to her at that time that she could not do so because it would violate provisions of her contract that prohibit causing a nuisance. Means indicated at the time she would proceed with her abortion plans despite objections.
Operation Rescue has also expressed concerns that an abortion business operated by Means would be a danger to the public. She was disciplined by the Kansas Board of Healing Arts in 2007 for having an inappropriate relationship with a patient and for undisclosed offenses that were sexual in nature. She is also in tremendous debt and has on file an order from one creditor to garnish her wages.
Mila Means, also known as Mila Holmes, is no stranger to professional trouble.
In April 2007, Means was disciplined by the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts for unprofessional conduct by having an improper personal relationship with one of her patients who had previously been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She eventually married him, but continued a doctor-patient relationship with him and other members of his immediate family. While some of Means’ disciplinary record has been redacted, it appears in context to refer to offenses that were sexual in nature.
Means has had documented problems with setting personal boundaries with patients and has misused psychiatry in her family practice. This conduct is troubling, especially for someone providing such an intimate and emotional service such as abortion.
But Means problems do not stop there. Court records show that Means has defaulted on at least two credit cards to the tune of almost $30,000, which has led to the garnishment of her wages. She has also been sued for her part of the debt in a failed medical business.*
So cash-strapped is Means that she reportedly purchased older, used abortion equipment from the now-closed Women’s Health Care Services, a defunct abortion clinic once operated by late-term abortionist George Tiller. She plans to eventually use this equipment to conduct her own abortion business.
Newman says three tenants leasing space in the same business park have threatened to move if abortions are done there, indicating that it and the ensuing public protests would present an unacceptable disruption to their businesses.
