Leroy Carhart Will Open Kansas Abortion Center, Not Do Late-Term Abortions
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 21, 2009
Wichita, KS (LifeNews.com) — LeRoy Carhart changed his story over the weekend and said he plans to open a new abortion business near Wichita, Kansas. However, he now says he has no plans to replace George Tiller by becoming the next to do late-term abortions in the state.
Carhart originally said he would replace the abortion business Tiller ran that his family shut down in the aftermath of the shooting that claimed his life.
The Nebraska-based abortion practitioner said he wanted to at least open an abortion business that does first and second-trimester abortions because he didn’t want anyone to think that killing abortion practitioners would stop abortions.
“They can’t know that murder means a clinic is going to close, because then 1,700 murders (of abortion providers) and there will be no abortion in the United States,” he told KSN. "Tiller was willing to fight back and so am I."
Carhart told the Kansas television station that he is opening the abortion center in memory of Tiller.
“I feel I’m doing it for him because that’s what he would’ve wanted,” Carhart said. “I’m not proud I’m doing abortions, I’m proud that I’m willing to do abortions when women need them done."
Carhart said the new abortion center would not be located in Wichita itself but within 25 miles of the large central Kansas city. He expects the new facility to be opened by December 1.
David Gittrich of Kansans for Life told KSN that he doesn’t want Carhart to come to Kansas and hopes the abortion business "fails miserably."
“There’s no need for abortion, no reason for abortion, and abortion doesn’t solve any problems,” Gittrich said.
Operation Rescue president Troy Newman emailed comments to LifeNews.com about the latest Carhart developments.
He said he didn’t believe Carhart when he said that he would not do late-term abortions because of the expense for women getting to Kansas from across the country to have them.
"That never hindered George Tiller from operating the largest late-term abortion clinic in the world. If there is one thing we have learned about LeRoy Carhart over the years, it is that the things he says will happen rarely do," he said.
"We doubt that he will ever open up an abortion clinic in Kansas, and if he does, it will be as a fall-back plan in the likely event that he would lose his medical license in Nebraska," he added.
"This latest claim is the third or fourth different story that Carhart has floated about continuing abortions in Kansas," Newman said. "He has said he would reopen Tiller’s clinic, which didn’t happen. He said he would build a new clinic, which isn’t happening. He boasted that he would specialize in post-viability abortions, now he says he won’t. He has no credibility."
Operation Rescue and other pro-life groups have submitted to the Nebraska Attorney General’s office and the Department of Health and Human Services affidavits from four former Carhart employees.
They talk about horrific, dirty practices, unlicensed workers performing medical tasks that it is illegal for them to do, and other violations. Carhart could face license revocation and even criminal charges.
"In addition, Carhart is under investigation in his home state and has financial problems, as evidenced by his lay-off of half his Nebraska abortion staff. Now he expects us to believe he is going to expand his failing abortion business? Nobody’s that gullible," Newman said.
There is one problem for Carhart that may make it hard to open an abortion center in Wichita proper.
In August, Wesley Medical Center announced, in response to an Operation Rescue petition, that it would not allow Carhart hospital privileges nor would it make a transfer agreement with him should he attempt to open an abortion clinic in Wichita.
The abortion practitioner also blasted pro-life advocates in the interview.
“I see the anti-choice movement as nothing different from the Taliban,” he said.
“No matter what the anti’s do, what Congress does, what the states do – abortion is not going to go away,” said Dr. Carhart. “What’s going to go away are safe and legal abortions. I still feel like I’m doing God’s work.”
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