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Judge Orders that Tiller Abortion Records Must Be Given to Grand Jury

WICHITA, Kansas, January 30, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Judge Paul Buchanan ruled today that medical records must be handed over to a grand jury investigating illegal late-term abortions at George R. Tiller's Women's Health Care Services, under the condition that identifying information about the patients be redacted. The records will then be provided to an independent attorney and physician appointed by the judge. They will screen the records to determine if there are irregularities before turning them over to the grand jury.

"Today's ruling is a victory for truth and justice," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman, who was present during the court hearing.

A cadre of six attorneys was in court on Tiller's behalf for another failed attempt to persuade Judge Buchanan to quash subpoenas that had been issued by the citizen-called grand jury. The jury is asking for nearly 2,000 abortion records over the past five years. Tiller's legal team was joined by Bonnie Scott Jones of New York's Center for Reproductive Rights, who argued on behalf of three former Tiller patients that the records be denied or heavily redacted for privacy considerations.

"The privacy that they seem so worried about is just a red herring to deflect attention from any wrongdoing Tiller may be trying to hide," said Troy Newman. "There will be no way to identify individual women from the redacted records, nor would there be any reason to do so. We find it shameful that Tiller would hide behind the skirts of his patients in an effort to protect himself from having to turn over potentially incriminating evidence."

Bonnie Scott Jones told the court of one of her clients, who had a late-term abortion by Tiller because her baby suffered from serious fetal anomalies. "I believe it is criminal and immoral that I, and other patients like me, should be subjected to the mere possibility that our private medical records become public," said an affidavit signed by one of Tiller's former customers, "Mary Moe." Mary Moe claimed that she obtained the abortion after discovering that her unborn child suffered a "rare and severe fetal anomaly that would ... result in the child living in a vegetative state, if at all." However, fetal anomaly is not a legal reason to obtain late abortion in Kansas.

"Bonnie Jones basically admitted in open court that Tiller gave one of her clients an illegal abortion," said Newman. "I found it shocking that she could describe in detail her client's reasons for having the abortion and not understand that. She is either grossly ignorant of Kansas law, or so arrogant that she does not flinch at admitting to the illegal abortion. Either way, it is obvious that the lawyers are more concerned with covering for Tiller than protecting patient privacy, or she would not have given so much medical detail in court."

The process of producing the abortion records will begin on Thursday morning.

See large amount of information on Tiller history at well-documented Operation Rescue website at
http://www.operationrescue.org/

Also see another website with very thorough details about George Tiller and his abortion history and methods
http://www.dr-tiller.com/biography.htm

See Tiller abortion late-term abortion business website
http://www.drtiller.com/counsel.html

Read Related LifeSiteNews.com Coverage:

Kansas Voters Let Abortionist, George “Tiller the Killer”, Possibly Avoid Criminal Investigation
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/nov/06110904.html

Kansas Abortionist Killed Late-Term Babies for “Maternal Depression”: Fox News
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/nov/06110606.html

Kansas Investigation into Child Rape Blocked by Two Secret Abortion Clinics
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/feb/05022505.html

Abortion Clinic Caught Shredding Documents as Kansas Court Considers Mandating Records Release
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/sep/05090601.html

"I Left My Dead Baby In The Toilet" - Former Patient of Abortionist Tells O'Reilly Factor
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/dec/06121304.html

Woman Dies after being Rushed from George "the Killer" Tiller's Late-Term Abortion Mill
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jan/05012711.html

Kansas Abortion Clinic Sends Another Woman to Hospital Weeks After Reported Death
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/feb/05021802.html

Canada Sending Women to Kansas for Late Term Abortions by Controversial Abortionist "Tiller the Killer"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/sep/04091001.html

* See many more LifeSiteNews past stories on abortionist Tiller by entering “Tiller” into LifeSiteNews search.

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