Contact: Troy Newman at 316-841-1700 or Cheryl Sullenger at 316-516-3034
Topeka, KS — Kansas gubernatorial candidates remaining silent on the matter of abortion will only help the pro-abortion Democratic incumbent, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, says Operation Rescue.
“In a pro-life state like Kansas, it is to the advantage of a pro-abortion candidate like Sebelius to avoid the issue of abortion because it will cost her votes,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “But for a pro-life challenger like Barnett to avoid the very issue that will shore up his support, energize his base, and generate campaign contributions is political suicide. We can only imagine that Barnett is receiving bad advice from political handlers that are ten years behind the times. The Pro-life position is a winning position. Those who stand firmly for life in their campaigns win elections.”
“We are in the middle of an abortion crisis in Kansas. We just bought an abortion mill in Wichita that was filthy and unsafe beyond imagination. Another mill closed down last year in Kansas City after the discovery of dirty conditions, and even allegations of cannibalism reported by a Kansas City detective. These shocking conditions were supported by Sebelius when she vetoed minimum standards for abortion clinics last year,” said Newman.
“In addition, there have been numerous documented incidents of botched abortions requiring emergency hospitalization — including one third-trimester abortion death. But in spite of the crisis, Sebelius continues her protective obstruction of minimum clinic standards and has worked hard to insure that these filthy human chop-shops remain open no matter the conditions or shoddy care,” Newman continued. “Barnett is missing a huge opportunity in not exploiting this glaring weakness.”
“In fact, Sebelius is either so out of touch or so corrupted by abortion campaign contributions that she thinks Kansas abortion mills have the ‘highest standards in the country’!” said Newman. “Sebelius has placed women’s lives at risk with her radical pro-abortion agenda. It is no wonder that she wants to avoid the abortion issue.”
A confidential source inside the grand jury that recently investigated abortionist George Tiller — a heavy Sebelius campaign contributor — has told Operation Rescue that a cover-up involving the Sebelius appointed Kansas State Board of Healing Arts may have contributed to Tiller narrowly escaping four indictments in the death of Christin Gilbert by only one vote. Earlier, Sebelius interfered in a KSBHA investigation, resulting in the KSBHA dismissing their case against Tiller in Gilbert’s death.
“Barnett has the right tools for getting the job done of beating Sebelius in November, but so far he has refused to use them,” said Newman. “Politics is inherently divisive. Sure the abortion issue divides, but in this case it separates the candidates so that this pro-life state has a clear and convincing choice. If there is not a dime’s worth of difference between candidates, why should the people even bother to vote? If Barnett wants to win this election, he will stop ignoring the abortion crisis in this state. It is probably the only issue that can win him the election.”
[This press release is in response to an article that appeared in the Wichita Eagle, Sept. 1, 2006]
