Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas has announced that it will not allow LeRoy Carhart to admit patients there who may suffer from botched abortions. The decision is significant because it could prevent Carhart from opening up a new late-term abortion business in town.

Carhart current runs an abortion center outside Omaha, Nebraska and had worked with late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller before he was shot and killed by someone not affiliated with the pro-life movement.

Carhart wants to replace Tiller and open up his own abortion facility in Wichita, but he needs an agreement with a local medical clinic to do so, because women injured by botched abortions need to be able to receive immediate medical care.

Just hours after Operation Rescue launched a petition to ask local residents to contact Wesley to ask its officials to deny that relationship, WMC said it will not allow Carhart to admit patients.

Operation Rescue president Troy Newman told LifeNews.com on Friday that member of the hospital's administrative staff contacted him about the decision and indicated WMC would be willing to issue a statement in agreement with that request.

Newman said Paul Pettite, Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations for Wesley Medical Center, sent the pro-life group a letter saying it would not work with Carhart.

"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," Newman said.

"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," he added.

In its letter to Newman, WMC said, "Physicians do not conduct elective abortions at Wesley Medical Center."

"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," it added.

WMC officials said they "never had a transfer agreement with Dr. George Tiller nor will Wesley enter a transfer agreement with any clinic - abortion or otherwise."

Tiller was able to admit patients who suffered from failed abortions to Wesley because he had already been on its staff at the time he started his abortion business.

"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," Newman explained. "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," Newman concludes.

"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," he told LifeNews.com.

His group, and Nebraska Right to Life, have already sent a formal request to the Nebraska Attorney General for a comprehensive investigation into Carhart's abortion business.

Related web sites:
Operation Rescue - http://www.operationrescue.org
Wesley statement -
http://operationrescue.org/pdfs/Wesley%20Statement%20081409.pdf

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