Legislature urged to take immediate action to reinstate abortion charges

Contact: Troy Newman, President, 316-841-1700; Cheryl Sullenger, Outreach & Media Coordinator, 316-516-3034; both with Operation Rescue

TOPEKA, Kansas, Apr. 3 /Christian Newswire/ -- Operation Rescue is calling for Attorney General Paul Morrison to recuse himself from participation in any decision process related to criminal case against Wichita abortionist George R. Tiller because of the following:

• Morrison has benefited from over a million dollars in campaign help from organizations linked directly to Tiller. The hit-piece style mailings and phone calls funded by Tiller groups against Morrison's opponent likely influenced the outcome of the election, creating a conflict of interest.
  
  
• Morrison stated during his recent campaign that he would drop investigations into Kansas abortion clinics.
  
  
• Morrison fired an independent special prosecutor assigned to the Tiller case.
  
  
• Morrison promised not to interfere with a writ of mandamus filed with the Kansas Supreme Court, then went back on his word and withdrew the motion before the Court had an opportunity to rule.
  
  
• Morrison has insulted the integrity of two judges who have ruled, based on the evidence, that probable cause exists to believe that Tiller committed 30 crimes related to the commission of illegal late-term abortions, by not prosecuting the case that they ordered should proceed.
  
  
• Morrison falsely accused Judge Richard Anderson, one of the judges who found probable cause in the Tiller case, of not even having read the order he signed, which would constitute a violation of judicial ethics, if true.
  
  
• Morrison has shown contempt for the authority of the legislature to compel him to prosecute cases under K.S.A. 75-702 by stating he alone will determine if charges against Tiller will be filed.

"Name one other case where two judges have found probable cause that has not been prosecuted," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "Morrison is wasting tax-payer money on his own investigation, when the work has already been done. The evidence has been gathered, the witnesses have been interviewed, and now the only thing left is for Morrison to stand aside and stop obstructing the progress of a legitimate case whose merits have never been questioned."

"Because of his lack of action and dubious connections to Tiller, Morrison is not ethically qualified to pursue this case. The legislature has the authority to compel a prosecution, and we urge them to act immediately to bring this case to a court of law under a prosecutor without financial, political, or personal ties to Tiller," said Newman.

Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian organizations in the nation.  Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to restore legal personhood to the pre-born and stop abortion in obedience to biblical mandates.