Abortion attorneys promise to refile in State Court as petition signatures are certified
Wichita, KS — Attorneys representing abortionist George Tiller attempted yesterday to persuade Federal Court Judge J. Thomas Marten to block the seating of a county grand jury demanded by pro-life groups through the legal petition process that allows citizens to request grand jury investigations on a state level.
Marten denied Tiller’s request saying, “Frankly, I’m reluctant to jump into the middle of something that is essentially a state matter. The odds that any appellate court would uphold any injunction in this case would be pretty remote.”
Yesterday, Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Bill Gale certified that 6,963 valid signatures had been gathered, nearly three times the 2,449 signatures required. The petition has been forwarded to the Sedgwick County Court’s presiding judge for assignment.
Tiller’s attorneys have promised to refile in State Court to block the investigation into possible illegal post-viability abortions done by Tiller over the past five years.
Currently Tiller faces 19 criminal misdemeanor counts of illegal abortions that were said to have taken place in 2003 for not having an unaffiliated physician sign off on abortions past 21 weeks gestation. Attorney General Paul Morrison, an abortion supporter, filed the charges after reviewing abortion records obtained by his predecessor. Morrison has refused to investigate any other records even though Tiller’s illegal business relationship with abortionist Ann Kristin Neuhaus, who he used for the second signature, continued until earlier this year.
“It is very likely that thousands of viable babies have been illegally killed by Tiller and his three hired abortionists over the last five years,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “Tiller’s attorneys are fighting tooth and nail to thwart justice. They know that Tiller could face years in jail if convicted on even a fraction of the illegal abortions.”
“This isn’t over yet,” said Newman. “We expect Tiller’s lawyers to try every devious trick in the book to keep Tiller from having to darken the doorway of a courtroom.”
Operation Rescue supported the current grand jury effort, which was led by Kansans for Life. However, OR continues to work on other legal avenues to bring Tiller to justice.
“We are not putting all our eggs in one basket,” said Newman. “We are working hard on a number of fronts to insure that Tiller has to face the legal consequences of his actions.”
