Prominent Abortionist Attempts to Block Legal Proceedings
Attorneys representing controversial late-term abortionist George R. Tiller presented their arguments to the Kansas Supreme Court on Tuesday in an attempt to block efforts by the Grand Jury of Kansas to subpoena hundreds of his abortion records.
According to pro-life groups, Tiller has performed countless numbers of illegal late term abortions on minors in direct violation of a late-term abortion ban and is purposely blocking the subpoena of his records by the Kansas Grand Jury to avoid prosecution.
Though allegations of criminal activity against Tiller by pro-life groups has been on-going, the situation heated up after Christin Gilbert, a 19-year-old woman who was 28 weeks pregnant, died after a multi-day abortion procedure at Tiller's clinic in Wichita, Kan., back in January 2005.
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Though Tiller was subsequently cleared of any wrong doing, a subpoena of Tiller's records could help make cases like Gilbert's, along with countless others, clear the role Tiller may have had in performing illegal abortions.
In their arguments in front of the Kansas Supreme Court, Tiller's attorneys questioned the legality of the Grand Jury to gain access to his abortion records, arguing that it would constitute an invasion of privacy. Concerns over privacy, they argued, superseded any allegations of criminal activity.
Troy Newman, president of the pro-life Operation Rescue, which has campaigned aggressively against Tiller, called the arguments made by Tiller's attorneys "ludicrous."
"If this case involved any other subject than abortion, that question would be considered ludicrous. Since when do criminals get to hide behind the skirts of their victims?" he said in a statement posted in his group's website.
A representative from Kansas Attorney General Stephen Six's office was also present during the proceedings, arguing that restrictions on subpoenas should remain.
In order for the Grand Jury to subpoena and gain access to Tiller's records, the Kansas Supreme Court will have to review the case soon.
The Grand Jury's session and effort to prosecute Tiller was due to end on April 8, but was momentarily extended for an additional 3 months until July 8, with no room for additional extensions.
In his statement, Newman said that the people of Kansas would not rest in their campaign against Tiller, and would be willing to exhaust all available options in the legal system.
"If the court delays this decision until it becomes impossible for the grand jury to access evidence, that will be the ultimate in obstruction of justice. In that case, you can bet there will be another grand jury, and another. This is not harassment. It is an attempt to procure justice," Newman insisted.
Operation Rescue, which was founded in the late 1980s, has waged a campaign against Tiller's abortion practices since as far back as 1991.
