Hospital hears the voices of the people and responds to the online petition asking that they not associate with late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart

Wichita, KS — Wesley Medical Center issued a statement today assuring the public that late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart will not be granted a transfer agreement should he apply for one.
Just hours after Operation Rescue launched a petition on Monday, August 10, 2009, to ask that Wesley Medical Center deny late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart hospital or transfer privileges, Operation Rescue President Troy Newman was contacted by a member of the hospital’s administrative staff indicating that they would be willing to issue a statement in agreement with that request.
The statement was sent to Operation Rescue by Paul Pettite, Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations for Wesley Medical Center on Friday, August 14, 2009, making good on promises that were made to put their position in writing.
“We are very pleased that Wesley Medical Center has taken the position of protecting life, and thank them for working with us toward establishing a community that respects and welcomes life,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.
“We also are grateful to the hundreds upon hundreds of people who took the time to sign the petition to Wesley Medical Center. Today, your voices were heard.”
Wesley stated, “Physicians do not conduct elective abortions at Wesley Medical Center.” It further stated that “Wesley treats over 70,000 people yearly in our ED. Our Women’s hospital assists in delivering over 6,000 babies every year. We are proud of our role in supporting life.”
The statement referred to Tiller, who was photographed at Wesley many times accompanying women injured by abortions at his now-closed late-term abortion clinic.
“Wesley does not currently have, nor will we have transfer agreements with abortion clinics. Wesley never had a transfer agreement with Dr. George Tiller,” the statement read.
Newman responded to that comment. “Tiller did not need to have a transfer agreement since he was a long-standing member of the Wesley medical staff, and boasted of his affiliation on his web site. This statement marks a change in policy from what we have seen from Wesley in the past, and we are very grateful to them for that.”
“We know that Carhart is trying to establish a late-term abortion clinic in Wichita, and that he would need the good graces of a local hospital to do so,” said Newman. “The petition was successful at helping Wesley hear the heart of the people on this matter. It is our prayer that Carhart will see the lack of community support for his abortion plans, and will terminate his efforts to re-establish a late-term abortion clinic in Kansas or anywhere else.”
Read the full statement from Wesley Medical Center.