Vol. 73/No. 32      August 24, 2009

AP Photo/Orlin Wagner

Hundreds gather for vigil at Old Town Square in Wichita, Kansas, May 31 for Dr. George Tiller, who was killed earlier in day.

Dr. LeRoy Carhart announced August 3 he will begin performing late-term abortions in Wichita, Kansas, soon. This comes barely two months after an antiabortion rightist shot and killed Dr. George Tiller, who had performed late-term abortions in Wichita. Carhart currently runs a clinic in Bellevue, Nebraska, outside of Omaha, and also worked part-time in Tiller’s clinic.

The closing of Tiller’s clinic was a blow to women’s access to safe abortion. Defenders of a woman’s right to choose abortion in the Wichita area and across the country are encouraged by Carhart’s decision.

Operation Rescue, an antiabortion outfit, has announced plans for a “Keep It Closed” campaign, beginning with a “pro-life rally” and “street activism” at Carhart’s clinic in Omaha August 28-29. The announcement posted on Operation Rescue’s Web site said it will be joined by two other antiabortion groups, Rescue the Heartland and Nebraskans United for Life.

Wichita has been a battleground in the fight to defend abortion rights since the summer of 1991 when rightist forces carried out mobilizations aiming to shut down abortion clinics in Wichita, including Tiller’s.

In a statement Operation Rescue president Troy Newman said, “We are dedicated to working through every legal means to stop LeRoy Carhart from following through on his threats to open a late-term abortion clinic to replace Tiller’s clinic.”

The Kansas National Organization for Women put out a call for a counter-mobilization against Operation Rescue. A posting on its Facebook page appealed for a large turnout: “Kansas NOW will be there! WE MUST STAND UP FOR OURSELVES, OUR RIGHTS AND DR. CARHART!”

Activists in Wichita will be caravanning to Omaha on the evening of August 27, and organizing housing for as many people as possible. NOW leader Nicki Scheid told the Militant that the pro-women’s rights forces will focus on defending Carhart’s clinic.

Defenders of a woman’s right to choose abortion are also planning to come from Des Moines, Iowa, the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and the Chicago area.

Those who plan to attend should contact Nicki Scheid of Kansas NOW at 785-212-0162 or by e-mail at nicki2377@ymail.com.  
 
 
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