Topeka, Kansas – The Kansas Supreme Court ruled today that the mammoth 107-count criminal case against Planned Parenthood
of Kansas and Mid-Missouri may move forward and remanded the case back down to the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
“This is a huge victory for the cause of life,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman, whose group has worked for years to bring Planned Parenthood to justice. “Now it is up to the Johnson County District Attorney to do the right thing and prosecute Planned Parenthood to the fullest in the interest of justice and in the interest of public safety.”
The charges were filed in 2007 by then-District Attorney Phill Kline, who had investigated Planned Parenthood and George Tiller for illegal late-term abortions during his tenure as State Attorney General. The charges came just four months after Kline’s successor, Paul Morrison, sent Planned Parenthood a letter absolving them of any wrong-doing. However, Judge Richard Anderson, who oversaw Kline’s investigation was troubled by the evidence and noted that he believed that Morrison should never had sent such a letter. Morrison was later forced to resign amid a sex and abortion corruption scandal where he tried to use his illicit lover to spy on Kline’s abortion investigations for the purpose of obstructing them.
The case has been tied up in the Kansas Supreme Court for nearly two years while the court decided whether to allow sealed evidence and witnesses against Planned Parenthood should be allowed to be used in prosecuting the group on charges of illegal late-term abortions then lying to cover it up.
Operation Rescue pressed hard in support of the charges with a series of radio spots, e-mail campaigns, a petition drive, and through a citizen-called grand jury.
“This case has been marred by continued delay and political corruption that has caused public confidence in the system to be diminished. In the interest of justice and closure of the people of Kansas, this case must go to trial. Anything less will only reinforce the belief that political corruption is alive and well in the State of Kansas,” said Newman. “Let both sides make their arguments and let a jury decided based on the evidence. That is the American way.”
