Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Operation Rescue: Disciplinary Hearing of KS Abortionist Delayed Again, Expanded to Four Days

Topeka, KS – The formal disciplinary hearing for abortionist Ann Kristin Neuhaus has been delayed for the third time by the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts and is now scheduled to take place June 6-10, 2011, at 9:00 AM at the Shawnee County Courthouse.

Neuhaus is a former associate of George Tiller and provided the second physician referral for all of his late-term abortions for several years. Patients involved in the complaint range in age from 10-18 years old with gestational ages between 25 and 29 weeks. All eleven patients were referred to Tiller for post-viability abortions based on mental health concerns between July and November, 2003.

This is not Neuhaus’ first encounter with the KSBHA. Neuhaus came under Board discipline in 1999 and again in 2001 for medical abuses, which included an alleged forced abortion on a woman who had withdrawn her consent, shoddy record-keeping, and lack of proper patient care. The KSBHA declared at that time that Neuhaus was a “danger to the public” and limited her ability to practice medicine.

Neuhaus quit as the abortionist at the now-closed Central Women’s Services in 2001. Operation Rescue later bought the building and closed the clinic. It was refurbished and now serves as OR’s national headquarters. She then closed her Lawrence abortion clinic in 2003. Soon after, she went to work providing consultations for Tiller’s late-term abortion patients.

In the current petition, based on a complaint filed by Operation Rescue staffer Cheryl Sullenger, Neuhaus is accused of the following in each of the eleven counts against her:

• Failure to perform adequate patient interview
• Failure to obtain adequate patient history
• Failure to adequately evaluate the “behavioral or functional impact” of the patient’s condition and symptoms
• Failure to meet the standard of care to the degree of constituting ordinary negligence
• Failure to keep adequate medical records

“Continued delays are of concern because the more a case is delayed, the more likely it is to be derailed,” said Sullenger. “However, we are guardedly optimistic about this case moving forward and will be relieved once the public is protected from Neuhaus and her dangerous abortion practices.”

Neuhaus recently told MSNBC that she would not want to work again in Kansas, but was open to doing abortions in other states.

“It is important for Kansas to clean up this mess before Neuhaus decides to ply her quackery on unsuspecting folks in another state,” said Sullenger. “The KSBHA is recovering from a scandal-ridden administration that gave abortionists a free pass. This is a huge opportunity for the KSBHA to step up and redeem themselves in the eyes of the public by doing their duty to protect the vulnerable.”

Read the KSBHA Petition against Neuhaus

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