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1974 debate on the abortion issue between Bob Dole and Bill Roy
A pivotal moment in Kansas politics, when Republican Bob Dole used the abortion issue in a tight U.S. Senate race against Democrat Bill Roy. The exchange occurred in 1974 at a debate at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson. Dole escaped defeat in a year when Democrats made huge gains in Congress. Many believe it was his anti-abortion stance that won out.
Topeka — Last week's abortion battle in Kansas produced more heated remarks from anti-abortion television personality Bill O'Reilly, more blistering statements from interest groups on both sides of the issue, and more leaked "evidence" against well-known abortionist George Tiller.
But from a state political observer's perspective, the events were just another sentence in a long story.
"This is just one more skirmish of the larger war being played out in Kansas since Bob Dole beat Dr. Bill Roy in 1974," said Joe Aistrup, chairman of the political science department at Kansas State University.
In a 1974 debate at the Kansas State Fair, Republican Bob Dole was in danger of losing his U.S. Senate seat in the first post-Watergate election when he accused Roy of performing abortions and supporting abortion "on demand." The tactic has been generally credited with helping Dole eke out a victory and was one of the first times the abortion issue played so prominently in a campaign.
Aistrup recalled the Dole-Roy debate in relation to the recent flare-up over abortion in Kansas.
Anti-abortion groups Operation Rescue and Kansans for Life provided reporters with transcripts, video and news releases of statements of Dr. Paul McHugh, a psychiatrist and witness hired by former Attorney General Phill Kline in his case against Tiller.
In his last days in office in 2006, after getting stomped by Democrat Paul Morrison at the polls, Kline, a vehement opponent of abortion, filed charges against his nemesis Tiller, who provides late-term abortions. The charges were dismissed on a jurisdictional issue, and Morrison, who criticized Kline's investigation into Tiller, said he would review the case and decide by the end of this month whether to pursue charges. Tiller has denied any wrongdoing.
But the delay in a decision by the pro-choice Morrison has infuriated abortion opponents who fully expect him to drop the probe into Tiller.
Enter McHugh. The former director of the psychiatric department of Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore said Tiller violated the late-term abortion law that says a viable fetus cannot be aborted unless it is done to save a woman's or girl's life or to prevent "substantial and irreversible" harm to a "major bodily function," which has been interpreted to include mental health.
McHugh said Tiller's justification for abortions for reasons such as anxiety disorder is not a legal justification. McHugh also opposes abortion.
Morrison wrote McHugh a terse letter threatening to take legal action against him if he didn't stop talking publicly about records in a pending investigation.
But Mary Kay Culp, executive director of Kansans for Life, said McHugh's statements would help bring public opinion to their side against Tiller.
"The more the public learns about the investigation itself and what is going on, and what is going on in Tiller's clinic, the better," she said.
She said if Morrison decides not to pursue charges against Tiller it will hurt Morrison when he is up for re-election in 2010.
"It's going to inspire people to work against him if what he does doesn't appear to be just," she said.
But Aistrup said it wasn't clear how the abortion issue would play out.
"Many of the pro-life groups will try to use that as additional fodder to press their case against the attorney general. Whether or not it will, you never know which issue will take hold," he said.
Comments
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tanzer (anonymous) says…
anxiety disorder is a mental health issue - i don't follow how it is illegal if legally mental health can be a justification.
chzypoof1 (anonymous) says…
I'm not trying to stoke the fire here, but anxiety is a reason to abort a healthy baby? I know a lot of women that have anxiety, but also have children. My wife is one of them. What's next? ADHD.....Stress? I think we're stretching a bit.....
Uhlrick_Hetfield_III (anonymous) says…
Morrison's conduct goes beyond the issue of abortion. No one of any political stripe should be above the law, and Tiller is clearly that in Wichita, and now in Topeka.
If we can't trust in the rule of law to objectively decide issues, the legal system itself has no credibility. Sebelius and her Republicrat pals have hurt the integrity of the Democratic Party, and now another one of Morrison's opportunistic aides is going to run in Johnson County as a Democrat.
Run Democrats for public office on the Democratic ticket, not Republicans who have been rejected by their own party.
I'm not signing on to a party who will make our state government the laughingstock of the nation in the way Wyandotte County once was the laughingstock of the state.
MrsEsterhaus (anonymous) says…
Tanzer, the reason "anxiety disorder" is not a legal reason for an abortion in the state of Kansas is that the mental reason given for the abortion must be "substantial and irreversible."
One of the leading psychiatrists in the world has just told you that anxiety disorder is NOT an "irreversible" condition. Further, he told you that Dr. Tiller's finding of "anxiety disorder" was incomplete - either it was poorly documented, or worse, inadequately diagnosed.
Thus, what we have here is one of the world's leading psychiatrists daring either Tiller or Paul Morrison to refute him. And thus far all they've done is try to impugn his character, ignoring his qualifications.
Typical.
Jamesaust (anonymous) says…
"One of the leading psychiatrists in the world has just told you that anxiety disorder is NOT an "irreversible" condition."
Mr. McHugh is not "one of the leading psychiatrists in the world." His illegal actions reveal him to be an anti-abortion extremist who is a psychiatrist. He was the SOLE "expert" Kline picked to consult - all others being studiously avoided.
Abortion foes SHOULD be furious that McHugh's actions undermine any potential prosecution of wrongdoing in the Tiller case.
(A) He reveals himself to be blinded by his own agenda - not a disinterested professional (when was the last time a professional was confidentially consulted but then turned around and started giving Internet interviews about the contents of private information?),
(B) He taints any jury that might be called ("Have you ever heard McHugh's allegations"? "Yes" "You Honor, we ask this potential juror to be excused" "Motion granted."), and
(C) He provides fodder to the pro-abortion camp by providing a first class example of the privacy violations inherent in any "grab-bag," probable-cause-lacking demand for medical records (as Kline tried to pursue) (I'd be careful as McHugh - there's no shield from lawsuit if he is acting outside of his private, expert review.)
Anxiety disorder usually manifests itself alongside depression. The last time I checked, depression-fuel suicide is a "irreversible" condition. I am certain that the AG's investigation will be capable of competently determining the degree of threat these few womens' medical conditions posed or did not pose to them. The idea that any public official in KANSAS undermines their own political position by exposing criminal abortion wrongdoing is just laughable. The statute criminalizing "late" abortions outside of the exemption provided is not a narrowly-won law but something supported by VAST majorities of Kansans, regardless of their views on "early" abortion. A successful prosecution of such wrongdoing would be a feather in the cap of a candidate from either Party.
(Perhaps McHugh's goal was in anticipation that an objective review of records would not reveal criminal activity and so a preemptive 'tainting' of the whole investigation as a 'whitewash' was in order? After all, the extremists will NEVER believe that Tiller might actually be following the law so why not create the appearance of a coverup? - raising donations is hard enough work as it is.)
absolutelyridiculous (anonymous) says…
Who ISN'T anxious after learning they are pregnant? My wife and I have had 4 kids and been anxious every single time. Please. Pretty thin case there.
Okay...I know I'll be attacked for this...I'm a big boy, bring it on...but if we decided abortion wasn't an option and society as a whole, viewed pregnancy and childbirth as healthy and an actual positive, there wouldn't be as much anxiety about the issue. Think about it the anxiety of making the decision to abort your baby.
grimpeur (anonymous) says…
"Well-known abortionist"? What the hell kind of description is this? There isn't even any mention that Tiller is a doctor. With this kind of editorializing in a "news" article, one would expect to see one interest group described as "the terrorist organization Operation Rescue."
Very disappointing journalism, if any.
absolutelyridiculous (anonymous) says…
I haven't been called stupid since the second grade and idiotic since seventh. Thanks for the digression defender.
kmat (anonymous) says…
Defender and James are correct about this one. The rest of you are just reading a pretty poorly written, biased (in journalistic views) article and are making a jump conclusion. Before going off about this, you need facts (not just what some right-wingers and one psychiatrist) say. Don't you think if Kline really had proof that Tiller was breaking the law, he would have had his ass in jail before the rational voters in KS got rid of him? Give Morrison a break. He's doing a much better job than Kline attempted to do.
For those of you that love Kline, keep this in mind. He has tried very few cases and is so unsure of himself that they aren't sure if he'll be allowed to try to prosecute the guy that just killed the girl from SMWest. You want to trust in this jerk that isn't qualified enough to be a prosecuting attny?
Everyone should settle down, realize that we don't know all the facts in this case and let the law and the prosecutors take care of this. If any of you really think that Morrison is trying to protect Tiller, you are just ignorant. He is just doing his job, which is making sure there really is a case before trying to press any charges (take a look at the Duke Lacrosse case to see if you think Morrison should rush to judgement).
Until those few of you evangelical, right-winger, want to turn this country into a theocracy folks get the country you "think" your god wants you to have (where abortion would be illegal), sit down and let the democratic laws rule.
It is quite odd that our country has terrible health care (unless you are uber rich), has a higher infant mortalilty rate than CUBA!!!!!!, but so many are concerned with abortion. How can you not give a rats ass about this country having a high infant mortality rate and not caring for it's citizens that are already born, but are so up in arms over abortions???? You want to reduce abortions? Teach real sex ed, encourage birth control use and work to lower the rate of poverty, which in turn reduces the number of abortions (just like Clinton did - the rates dropped drastically. Under Bush, the abortion rates have increased).
kmat (anonymous) says…
parkay - you are a whack job! You would be better suited for Ottawa. You are so wrong. I would suggest educating yourself, but I can tell from your bullsh*t posting that you are a right-wing, religious zealot. No hope for your brain to try to absorb facts and then make reasonable conclusions.
Birth control education does reduce abortions. Education is the key to everything in life.
My poor twin nieces in Ottawa got some great sex ed. I will first point out that by 8th grade, three of their classmates were already pregnant. Could it be because in that uber-religous town, no one believes in teaching about sex???? Their sex ed class consisted of the following: no discussion of birth control, except to tell them that no birth control kept you from getting pregnant or from getting STD's. They were told only sinners had sex before marriage and that they could get pregnant just from touching private parts. Then the topper, they were given a story to read about a knight who rejected a princess for a village maiden because the princess offered him too much advice about how to slay a dragon, while the maiden was silent. Moral of the story was that too many suggestions from a woman will lessen a man's confidence or even turn him away from his princess. Can you believe this sh*t???!!! What frickin century are we living in???
Go back to your cave, parkay. You can have whatever laws you want there. I will live in the real world. I will continue to educate my nieces on the do's and don't of sex and will teach them it is not a "dirty" thing, but is something to be enjoyed (as long as it's protected and mutual). And since they know about birth control and aren't afraid to ask questions, I would bet my life that neither will end up pregnant (as a teenager, unexpectedly) or having abortions.
My great aunt, who was married in the early 1900's, sums this all up nicely. After being married for a few months and becoming pregnant, she asked my grandmother (who was already married) how she got pregnant. Back then they didn't believe in teaching about sex and birth control either. So which would like? An ignorant world or an educated world?
absolutelyridiculous (anonymous) says…
kmat...wow. As a person who believes "education is everything"...you are the ignorant one. Call me a religious zealot if you must but I understand a truth you do not or can not understand.
Thats_messed_up (anonymous) says…
Kmat are you suggesting we have all of your nieces skank classmates' kids aborted? Kmat You are an idiot.
Parkay, I couldn't agree with you more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!