Race for Attorney General
- Kline campaign ad: "Medical records"
- Morrison campaign ad: "Hands"
- Kansas Supreme Court ruling allowing the investigation
- PAC adds $1.5M to Kline bid (10-31-06)
- Campaign ads mask sponsors' identities (10-29-06)
- Heated exchanges mark attorney general's race (10-29-06)
- Full coverage of the Attorney General race
- Transcript of chat with Attorney General Phill Kline (10-09-06)
- Candidate: Phill Kline (Republican)
- Candidate: Paul Morrison (Democrat)
- Candidate selector: See whose positions you agree with
Topeka — Atty. Gen. Phill Kline on Wednesday said he has gained possession of medical records needed to investigate abortion doctors and alleged child rapists.
The announcement by Kline, an ardent opponent of abortion, cranked up the heat in an already hotly contested legal struggle and the race for attorney general.
Democratic challenger Paul Morrison said the records' development was bad news for Kansans.
"Phill Kline has abused the power of the attorney general's office to finally get what he wanted all along - the chance to dig through Kansans' private medical records," said Mark Simpson, Morrison spokesman. "It's desperate and it's dangerous."
Pedro Irigonegaray, an attorney representing the clinics, said the clinics have done nothing wrong and that Kline was using the case to get votes.
"To suggest that my clients are involved in criminal conduct is preposterous, it is untrue and it is an abuse of discretion. And it must stop," Irigonegaray said.
He said his biggest fear was that "Kline and others may burst into one of these clinics, terrorizing patients and staff, disturbing medical procedures, and creating chaos."
Sherriene Jones, a spokeswoman for Kline, said the statements from Morrison's camp and Irigonegaray were irresponsible scare tactics.
Kline insisted he wasn't investigating the women and girls whose records he sought.
"Only abortion doctors, confirming doctors, and rapists are under investigation. Also, I have never sought the women's identities. I do not need their identities," Kline said in a news release.
Kline said the records, turned over to his office Oct. 24, are under review by investigators. No timeline has been set on the investigation, his office said.
The development caps a two-year pursuit by Kline of the records in a case that has drawn national attention.
In October 2004, State District Court Judge Richard Anderson issued subpoenas sought by Kline for the patient files of 90 women and girls who received abortions at clinics operated by Dr. George Tiller, of Wichita, and Planned Parenthood of Overland Park.
The clinics challenged the subpoenas, saying Kline was on a politically motivated fishing expedition that would violate patients' privacy rights.
The Kansas Supreme Court allowed the investigation to continue, provided that Anderson took measures to protect the privacy rights of the patients.
Kline said he is investigating allegations of child rape, failure to report child rape and performing illegal late-term abortions.
The investigation also includes more than 175 cases of live-birth records, abortions records and DNA samples obtained through the Child Rape Protection Act, Kline said.
Irigonegaray said Kline's allegations against the clinics were unfounded.
"The continued attacks and threats by Mr. Kline create a very painful and difficult situation for those patients and their families, and I think it is shameful to cause that kind of harm for political advantage," he said.
Tiller's clinic specializes in late-term abortions, or when the fetus has the ability to survive outside the womb. Under Kansas law, the woman may obtain a late-term abortion if the abortion is necessary to preserve the life or health of the pregnant woman.
Access to the records has occurred during a heated campaign for attorney general.
Morrison has made Kline's pursuit of the records a major campaign issue, saying that Kline's personal politics has led to a misguided investigation.
But abortion opponents have praised Kline's actions and were glad to hear of the latest development.
"We anxiously await the day that we can see George Tiller and other members of the Kansas abortion cartel behind bars where they belong," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.
Jones, Kline's spokeswoman, said the timing of the announcement that Kline received the records from the court had nothing to do with the campaign.
His office received the records last week, but it has taken that long for investigators to report to Kline what they have found, she said.
Kline said the investigation also centers on allegations of rape by force or fear; failure to report suspicion of child sexual abuse; incest; and making false information.
"If there was not a reason for this investigation to continue, it would cease. The investigation is continuing," Kline said.
Comments
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rhd99 (anonymous) says…
enough already, phill kline! stop snooping people's private lives. How'd you like it if we snooped around your LOUSY life, loser! get lost!
justthefacts (anonymous) says…
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2006/nov...
Same story, two articles? Read comments there too....
ksmoderate (anonymous) says…
"Only abortion doctors, confirming doctors, and rapists are under investigation. Also, I have never sought the women's identities. I do not need their identities," Kline said in a news release.
_____
Uh...
If you don't have the rapee's name, how can you connect it to a rapist? Unless I am mistaken in the thought that if a woman goes to get an abortion becuase of rape, she is entitled to supply the name of her rapist on her medical records?
HUH?
Baille (anonymous) says…
"'Also, I have never sought the women's identities. I do not need their identities,' Kline said in a news release."
Phill is a liar. He sought the unredacted records. He wanted the court to view the unredacted records. This was the basis of the two-year litigation battle.
Now he wants to re-write history. Here is a quote from the opinion of the Supreme Court in Alpha:
"beier, j.: This is an original action in mandamus brought by petitioners Alpha Medical Clinic and Beta Medical Clinic arising out of an inquisition in which respondent Attorney General Phill Kline subpoenaed the entire, unredacted patient files of 90 women and girls who obtained abortions at petitioners' clinics in 2003."
Unredacted. Either he does not know what the word means or he is a liar.
SloMo (anonymous) says…
If Phill's crusade is really about the welfare of children and going after child abusers, then wouldn't he also have solicited medical records of underage boys treated for venereal diseases?
SettingTheRecordStraight (anonymous) says…
Way to go Phill Kline! Thank you for what you're doing to help protect Kansans.
kugrad (anonymous) says…
If Kline really wanted to find out about the abuse of young girls/rape/ and so on, he would simply go to every hospital in the state and seek records of births. Fifteen year old girls are giving birth in this state all the time. Kline really is fishing for something else, because he has not done this.
Let's hope the millions of out-of-state dollars won't be enough to keep phill in office. Kick this loser out.
Machiavelli_mania (anonymous) says…
I have never quite understood what legal basis Kline has for investigating the abortion dr.s, if he is stating that this is all about child abuse and so on.
Machiavelli_mania (anonymous) says…
Isn't Kline the guy who sued himself once, as Attor. Gen?
I think so.
What kind of thinking is that?
Rationalanimal (anonymous) says…
"The Kansas Supreme Court allowed the investigation to continue provided that Anderson took measures to protect the privacy rights of the patients."
Hello, anybody, news flash, the very ideological, liberal KS Supreme Ct passed off on this. So, what PK is doing is perferctly legal, ethical and otherwise appropriate for an AG to do in an investigation.
It is apparent that some of you on here are more concerned about targeted medical files being given to a criminal investigator than prosecuting rapists, and child rapists. If it is true that the good Doctor's medical records establish rape and especially child rape, then the doctor has been derilict in failing to inform family services about abuse that has gone on. At least PK has the guts to stand up and aggressively go after child rapists, even if it ends up costing him his job.
In the alternative, how do you propose to prosecute child rape (in many cases committed by family members) when the only evidence is a scared-to-death victim or medical records?
So many of you are so full of hate towards PK that you're completely looking past the other side of this issue.
Baille (anonymous) says…
The criticism has never been that the inquisition was illegal. The criticism has been that Kline pursued it in a manner that was unreasonable (supported by the Alpha Medical Decision), intrusiive (Supported by Alpha), and unnecessary (Alpha). Kline wasted two years and tens of thousands of dollars in litigating an issue he LOST.
In the process, he deliberately acted unethically.
Furthermore, some have critisized his motivation noting that he has only pursued the medical records of two abortion clinics. I do not know if this is true because inquisitions are not normally brought into the light of public scrutiny.
I am glad that we are pursuinig rapists, child abusers, and those who may have violated abortion laws. I am disgusted and appalled in the manner of the pursuit. Paul Morrison would know better. Bob Stephan knew better. It would be nice if Phill had listened to those with more wisdom, more experience, and more common sense.
SettingTheRecordStraight (anonymous) says…
Win or lose, Phill Kline has done an incredible job reminding Kansans that:
1. Planned Parenthood performs abortions on our daughters, mothers, sisters and friends.
2. Planned Parenthood profits from the abortions it performs.
3. George Tiller continues, virtually unopposed, performing his grisly third-trimester abortions.
4. There is a huge pro-abortion lobby willing to spend, say or do whatever it takes to keep their abortionists in business.
dacs23 (anonymous) says…
Just a side note for the whole "snoop dog Kline" thing. I would think that the real Snoop Dog (the rap artist) could go after anti Kline people for violation of a trademark. Hmmmmmmm
drewdun (anonymous) says…
Wahoo! Kansas wingnut psychos want to control other people's lives.
(In the womb) "Its a sacred child of God, it must be born whether the mother likes it or not!"
(Out of the womb) "Pay for health care and education for this screaming brat? Not me - I needs me some $20 tax cuts!"
dacs23 (anonymous) says…
lets say they have to pay the real Snoop Dog $1 for every e-mail and phone message they used the name. That would make me laugh.
spammer89 (anonymous) says…
I belive in a womans right to choose, speaking from experiance i had a friend who was raped and got pregnant and chose to terminate, i could not blame her at all, i know that i could not handle the fact that if my child was a victim of rape and the emotional problmes one would feel to see the person who ruined your life everyday in that childs eyes. Some may be strong enough to deal with that situation and some may not leave that choice to them.
LiberalDude (anonymous) says…
Wahoo! Less than a week until no more kline!!!
Yeoman2 (anonymous) says…
Flash for Mr.Setting The Record Straight and Mr. Kline
abortion in the u.s. is legal!
kline was not elected as a law maker
abortion is a personal choice issue, not a religious persecution issue as mr kline sees it
if you do not want an abortion, do not get one
if you do not want anyone else to get an abortion, what damned business of yours is it?????
dacs23 (anonymous) says…
p.s. stop calling my house ..........
dacs23 (anonymous) says…
I hope Kline wins so those phone people will be out of a job. Have I lost sight of the issues because of my personal irritation of negative campaigning. you bet. Don't care about either candidate at this point, but Kline gets my vote.....because....he doesn't call my house every day....
And yes I originally was going to vote the other way. I say I'm casting my vote for my ethical principles rather then the issues.
kugrad (anonymous) says…
Patriotman,
I know those records are public; but Kline hasn't used them to prosecute a single case. He isn't doing what he claims to be doing. The abortion records stunt IS a stunt, plus harrassment that costs the doctors money to comply. He isn't prosecuting the fathers of the babies of 15 year olds. I have a 15 year old cousin in topeka with a baby - Kline nowhere in sight on that case.
dacs23 (anonymous) says…
who cares what Kline did. Know what Morrison does or at least his supports do? They call people's houses all the time with anti Kline propaganda and saying nothing as to why we should vote for him...
I call everyone out there to vote for Kline and take a stand against negative campaigning and phone harassment by pre recorded messages.
dacs23 (anonymous) says…
They say Morrison is up in the polls...why? because the poll people never call my house to get my opinion....and why is that? Because Morrison is on the other line with his negative campaigning.
Ok. I'm done for today. see you tomorrow after my phone call.
dacs23 (anonymous) says…
P.P.S. I think pre recorder anti Kilne message girl number 6 has a thing for me. She called me three times yesterday alone. Tomorrow.. I'm asking her out.
SettingTheRecordStraight (anonymous) says…
"If you do not want an abortion do not get one."
Interesting. As a man, I cannot get pregnant. Therefore, I can never have an abortion. However, as a human being and as a former fetus, I have opinions on the subject.
Here are a few.
Abortion is wrong. Abortion hurts women. Abortion cheapens children. Abortionists should be prosecuted. Women who've had abortions have bought into the lie that abortion is "a choice," that a developing human is "a mass of tissue" or that abortion is "a personal decision between a woman and her doctor."
We all know it. Abortion is wrong and will never be right.
SettingTheRecordStraight (anonymous) says…
Are we "motivated" VERB nut cases or are we "motivated" adjective nut cases?
kugrad (anonymous) says…
Maybe if you weren't a registered Democrat you wouldn't get called by Morrison. I've never been called. I've had illegal push-polling calls from the Kline campaign, but nothing from Morrison.
The only calls I've gotten on the AG race are from Kline's campaign and they are quite negative.
Kline: An embarrassment to Kansans and the evolved.
xenophonschild (anonymous) says…
Someone on this site posted that the Kansas Supreme Court is "liberal."
WTF? Kay McFarland? She makes Shrub look like John Kerry.
Some of you need to get a better grip on reality.
xenophonschild (anonymous) says…
BTW, Phil is toast. The news today that former Attorney General Bob Stephan is petitioning the Kansas Ethics Commission to investigate Kline's fund-raising at churches, and over $40,000 in unitemized contributions Kline reported on the campaign finance statement he filed this week, means that Kline is finished . . . dead . . . kaput. Stephan has more friends, more stature, more respect among the movers and shakers of our beloved Kansas than Phill could earn in a lifetime.
Remember forty-thousand bucks, for that is why ol'Phill is not just going to lose the election, but he's going to jail.
Pride goeth before the fall. It seems that, where conservative Republican fundamentalist Christians are concerned, it's not pride, but arrogant stupidity.
I hope they make him do time in El Dorado.
xenophonschild (anonymous) says…
BTW, Phil is toast. The news today that former Attorney General Bob Stephan is petitioning the Kansas Ethics Commission to investigate Kline's fund-raising at churches, and over $40,000 in unitemized contributions Kline reported on the campaign finance statement he filed this week, means that Kline is finished . . . dead . . . kaput. Bob Stephan has more stature, respect, and friends among the movers and shakers of our beloved Kansas than Kline can ever imagine, and that Stephan has weighed in against him so dramatically means he is toast.
Remember forty-thousand bucks, for that is why ol'Phill is not just going to lose the election, but he's going to jail.
Pride goeth before the fall. It seems that, where conservative Republican fundamentalist Christians are concerned, it's not pride, but arrogant stupidity.
I hope they make him do time in El Dorado.
xenophonschild (anonymous) says…
Oops.
Katara (anonymous) says…
Interesting. As a man, I cannot get pregnant. Therefore, I can never have an abortion. However, as a human being and as a former fetus, I have opinions on the subject.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay *sigh* I'll bite.
As a man, you will never know what it is like to be forced to give birth to a baby that was conceived by rape or incest or both.
As a man, you will never know what it is like to have to make a decision that not only affects the immediate pregnancy but the rest of your reproductive life.
As a man, you posted some pretty insulting things as to what a woman goes through in making the decision as to whether they should have an abortion or carry the pregnancy to term and either raise the child (possibly without any support from the man) or to give up the child for adoption.
As a man, you get the luxury from suffering none of the consequences from having to make that kind of decision.
Perhaps, as a man, you could help reduce the rate of abortions by helping other men realize that they too can take responsibility & insist on a reliable form of birth control before having sex with your partner of choice.
As a man, you can help get rid of the idea that knocking up some chick is sign of virility and manhood.
As a man, you can demand that deadbeat parents be responsible for the children they have already brought into this world.
As a man, you can help the already born children that desperately need someone to take care of them.
Just because you can put your penis inside of a woman does not entitle you to make decisions about anything else that goes on inside a woman.
Bubarubu (anonymous) says…
Some phone bank with a Northern Virginia phone number just called me to let me know that Paul Morrison is "barbaric". He supports killing AND cloning unborn babies. I suppose the cloning is so he'll have more babies to kill. Boy, I'm glad they took the time to tell me that. I mean, if they hadn't called me after 9 PM, I'd never know that voting for Morrison would send me to Hell.
cait48 (anonymous) says…
Yay!!! Go get him Katara! You said it all!
Understand this is the same man that's against "tax and spend" government (nevermind the nobid Iraqi contracts in Washington). "What? Me pay 5 dollars a day to feed and care for some runny nosed dirty street brat? Fergit about it!"
75x55 (anonymous) says…
Looks like Wednesday's going to be an interesting one around here.
roger_o_thornhill (anonymous) says…
"We all know it. Abortion is wrong and will never be right."
What about so called "just" wars? How about unjust ones? Whose responsible for the senseless killings of Iraqi, Afgani, Lebanese civilians? Those who give the orders? Those who actually do the killing? Those who produce the instruments of death?
How about the death penalty? What do you think about that? If you are a "killing is wrong" kind of person, your own beliefs compel you to believe that ALL killing is wrong. You cannot pick and choose.
I guess I shouldn't assume that you are pro-war (even "just war")-I just feel dirty saying "just war" -and pro death penalty. It just seems that many, MANY people like to pick and choose even among their own beliefs.
Having said all of that, I must also ask: What's it to you? Life decisions are for the individual (not the protestant-work-ethic-me-first-individual, but the one who has been given free will) whose decisions are between themselves, those directly involved, and their creator. Not your business. Find something else to worry about. Like you said, you are a man.
SettingTheRecordStraight (anonymous) says…
Roger, Good questions and good thoughts-- until you fall prey to one of the most common contradictions of those who are not only against war and the death penalty but that also believe in abortion as a morally acceptable "choice."
You clearly do not believe in the Bush administration's "just wars" theory. Fair enough.
And it seems you're against the death penalty. I am too.
But then you query about abortion, "What's it to you? Life decisions are for the individual..." Are you serious? Don't you see the complete paradox in this statement? You're against war and against the death penalty but then you're somehow in favor of abortion on demand?
Aren't any of you pro-peace people also pro-life?
xenophonschild (anonymous) says…
Well said, HGA. Hypocrisy roosts not too far from those who weep crocodile tears over "murdered babies."
And, for the record, most pro-lifers of my acquaintance are devoted advocates of the death penalty. Go figure.
SettingTheRecordStraight (anonymous) says…
"You "pro-lifers" care not a whit for children not of your own color, religious persuasion or economic class..."
That's ridiculous. Utterly nonsensical.
Agnostick (anonymous) says…
This just in...
immediate release
Nov. 3, 2006
Attorney General Phill Kline will appear tonight on "The O'Reilly Factor" with Bill O'Reilly. He will talked about his recent confirmation of receiving medical records in connection with his investigation into child rape, failure to report child rape, violations of our state's late-term abortion statue and other possible crimes. "The O'Reilly Factor" airs at 7 p.m. central time on the Fox News Channel.
Agnostick
agnostick@excite.com