Just one day after Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline filed criminal charges against a Wichita abortionist for performing illegal late-term abortions, the county district attorney successfully moved to have all 30 charges dropped.
The charges against George Tiller stem from an investigation by Kline spanning several years. In 2004, Kline requested to see abortion records from two clinics in order to determine whether they contained evidence of criminal activity. Kline was looking for an indication that clinics failed to report the abuse of minors or whether they performed illegal late-term abortions.
Last month, Kline obtained the abortion records of 90 patients from the clinics. It was from a review of those records Kline determined there was sufficient evidence to press charges against Tiller.
But Wichita County District Attorney Nola Foulston immediately filed a motion to drop all charges, citing Kansas law that says charges can only be filed by an attorney general at the invitation of the district attorney or request of the governor or Legislature.
Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue, said Foulston has been criticized by pro-lifers for refusing to prosecute accusations against Tiller because of her friendship with him.
"This is a classic example of why justice cannot be done in this state because so many officials have ties to George Tiller," he said. "Money buys a lot of favors here. This miscarriage of justice must not be allowed to stand."
Kline was not re-elected as attorney general in November and will only hold office for three more weeks. His successor, Paul Morrison, has indicated reluctance to move forward with the Tiller investigation.
