Infamous Late-Term Abortionist Defies Criminal Charges

By Ethan Cole, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Late-term abortion provider George Tiller filed a legal counterattack Monday, challenging the constitutionality of one part of a Kansas law restricting the procedure.

Tiller's attorneys, Lee Thompson and Dan Monnat, contend that the requirement of two doctors who are financially and legally independent of one another to sign off on late-term procedures is an unnecessary burden on a physician's right to practice medicine, according to The Associated Press. Moreover, the lawyers argue the law violates the right of a woman to obtain an abortion and is too vague.

Thompson and Monnat have filed a motion to dismiss the charges against Tiller, claiming the requirement is unconstitutional.

"This legal maneuver is a baseless waste of time," responded Troy Newman, president of the Kansas-based pro-life group Operation Rescue, in a statement. Newman noted that the U.S. Supreme Court had upheld the language in the Kansas law previously in a similar case.

"This is nothing more than a stall tactic to delay the criminal case against him," Newman declared.

Last week, Kansas Attorney General Paul Morrison filed 19 criminal charges against Tiller for failing to get the permission of a second doctor who was financially or legally independent of him before carrying out late-term abortion procedures. Morrison had also dismissed 30 more serious criminal charges against the abortionist filed by the former attorney general before he left office.

If convicted under Morrison's charges, Tiller will face up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine for each of the 19 charges. Furthermore, Tiller's medical license to practice could be suspended or revoked.

The notorious Kansas abortionist has been known nationwide for offering easy late-term abortions, which breaks Kansas laws of only providing abortions if there is a reasonable medical concern.

He has been accused several times of performing illegal late-term abortions and offering only vague reasons why the operation is necessary.

"There is enough evidence in the public domain now to get a conviction against Tiller for illegally killing viable late-term babies whose very blood cries out for justice," Newman exclaimed. "The fact that Tiller's lawyers are using every shady legal trick in the book to keep him out of court shows that they are concerned that he would not prevail in a trial before a jury of his peers.

"There needs to be a public outcry against this injustice like there has never been seen before!"

According to one of Tiller's attorney's, Dan Monnat, a hearing on the latest request is set for July 13.