To avoid more corruption, OR again calls for appointments to be made by the Legislature
Topeka, KS – Kansas State Senators are calling for massive reforms in the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts that include the firing of Executive Director Larry Buening and Chief Counsel Mark Stafford. This comes in the wake of a four-part series on Board scandals published in the Topeka Capital-Journal.
Last December, Operation Rescue publicly called for the firing of Buening and Stafford and made a number of recommendations for reform to the Kansas Legislature.
The KSBHA as been under fire for slow responses to complaints and inaction, especially related to late-term abortionist George R. Tiller. The final straw came when Federal indictments were issued against another Wichita area doctor who ran what was described as a “pill mill” that may have resulted in the deaths of at least 56 overdose deaths. The KSBHA had been reportedly “investigating” that doctor for four years without action.
Operation Rescue has accused the Board, whose members have been appointed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, of corruption and covering up for Tiller’s negligent and criminal behavior.
Operation Rescue filed a complaint against Tiller with the Board for illegal late-term abortions and violating the unaffiliated second physician requirement for post-vaibility abortions in October, 2006. Tiller has since been criminally charged with 19 counts of that same charge, but the Board, while saying their case is progressing, has yet to act.
“The glacial pace of Board ‘investigations’ and the preferential treatment of Tiller are not surprising when you consider that board members gave Gov. Sebelius nearly $25,000 in campaign contributions,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “Sebelius was initially elected due to hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from Tiller. Without his help, Sebelius would not have been elected. Sebelius, who is an extremist supporter of radical abortion rights, has an ‘I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine’ relationship with the Board of Healing Arts. This is the very definition of corruption.”
“The only way to rid the Board of Healing Arts of ineptitude and duplicity is to remove the ability to appoint members from the governor and place it with the Legislature,” said Newman. “If Sebelius is allowed to appoint replacements for Buening and Stafford, we are simply ignoring the root of the problem and creating a situation that could prove to be even worse.”
