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Topeka, KS, July 12, 2013 (OperationRescue.org) – Oral arguments were made today in the case of abortionist Ann Kristin Neuhaus, who is appealing the revocation of her medical license for making unsubstantiated mental health diagnoses that were used to justify late-term abortions done by abortionist George Tiller.

Neuhaus’s attorney, Mr. Trussle admitted that there was a lack of documentation in Neuhaus’ records, but insisted that her mental health evaluations of each patient were done properly. They attacked the reputation of the Board of Healing Arts’ expert witness, Dr. Liza Gold, indicating that since Gold stated that abortion is not a treatment for any mental health condition, she was unqualified to testify.

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Board General Counsel Kelli Stevens noted that Neuhaus was not an expert, to which Judge Franklin Theis asked, “By virtue of her license, doesn’t that make her an expert?”

That question was troubling because it showed that the judge lacked an understanding of the qualifications as a medical expert in legal proceedings.

Stevens pointed out that Neuhaus admitted she intentionally omitted information in her records in order to hide it from regulators and that Neuhaus has been subject to Board discipline in the past.

Stevens argued that there was not one shred of evidence that Neuhaus conducted adequate mental health examinations either in her records of in testimony from others given during the disciplinary trial.

“The purpose of the exam does not lower the standard of care,” Stevens stated.

Trussle argued that the testimony of Neuhaus’ expert witness, Dr. K. Allen Greiner, who testified that Neuhaus met the standard of care in her evaluations and record keeping was largely discounted by the presiding officer who heard testimony during the disciplinary trial. However, Stevens told the court that Greiner was simply not credible. For example, Greiner testified that the record for Patient 8 met the standard of care when there was not one shred of documentation that Neuhaus ever saw that patient. This destroyed Greiner’s credibility with the presiding officer, who could not reconcile Greiner’s statement with the record.

Judge Theis asked that details concerning the 11 abortion records be provided him by the Board and took the case under advisement.

“This case has gone through extensive review. An investigator made the determination that Neuhaus violated care standards and the Board reviewed those findings and agreed. Then a full trial was conducted and a presiding officer saw the evidence and heard testimony from live witnesses. He agreed that Neuhaus violated standards and put patients in danger. The Board then reviewed his findings and agreed. After all of that, it would be a miscarriage of justice if one District Court Judge overturned all of these findings,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “We pray that common sense will prevail and that Neuhaus will never be allowed to inflict her incompetence on anyone every again.”

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Neuhaus was a former associate of George Tiller, who once operated the largest late-term abortion clinic outside Communist China. His business specialized in doing abortions into the latest stages of pregnancy and drew clients from all over the globe.

Neuhaus began working with Tiller in 1999 to provide referrals for abortions on viable babies past 22-weeks gestation. Kansas law required that a second physician had to verify that continuation of the pregnancy would result in maternal death or a “substantial and irreversible impairment to a major bodily function” of the pregnant woman before the abortion could legally occur. A former State Attorney General, Carla Stoval, issued an opinion that “major bodily function” must include mental health considerations.

Testimony at a Board disciplinary hearing showed that Neuhaus was regularly contacted by Tiller’s office and told to report to his Wichita abortion clinic where she conducted screenings on potential late-term abortion patients for the purpose of determining if they met the legal standard that would allow an abortion to continue. However, the Board found that Neuhaus negligently conducted those screenings. Her inadequate and poorly documented interviews led her to determine that normal life issues, such as frustration at not being able to buy a new computer, play sports, or participate in rock concerts due to pregnancies that had already advanced into the third trimester, were indications of mental illnesses that justified abortions. Many times, Neuhaus phoned in her exams. In some cases, there was no evidence that she even interviewed the patients at all.

Her mental health diagnoses were reached via a computer training program called “PsychManager Lite” wherein she would input answers to often vague yes-or-no questions and the program would calculate a diagnosis. Her phony diagnoses were rubber-stamps meant to ensure lucrative late-term abortions took place. In short, her mental health justifications for late-term abortions were based on nothing short of medical quackery and blind radical abortion ideology.

To Neuhaus, an unexpected pregnancy caused women to become mentally ill without exception. She reflected the radical philosophy held by many abortionists when she stated that she believed the fact that a woman was pregnant was in itself a life-threatening condition and justification for abortion at any stage of pregnancy.

Her revocation was a moral victory for the pro-life movement.