Grand Jury Refuses Abortion Indictment

Kansas Activists Had Sought Case Against Planned Parenthood

(AP)  A Johnson County grand jury has refused to issue an indictment against Planned Parenthood after investigating the agency's clinic in suburban Kansas City.

Planned Parenthood officials said the grand jury's verdict of "no true bill" was announced in court Monday evening.

Abortion opponents, through a petition, had forced the court to convene the panel and investigate whether Planned Parenthood's Overland Park, Kan., clinic violated state restrictions on abortion. They also wanted to see whether the clinic was illegally trafficking in fetal tissue.

"We are once again vindicated, as we have been any time there is an objective review of these allegations," said Peter Brownlie, president and chief executive officer for Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri. "The jury investigated all of the allegations that were in the petition that resulted in the grand jury being formed, and they found no evidence of any wrongdoing."

Planned Parenthood attorney Pedro Irigonegaray said of Monday's verdict, "It gives me great faith in the justice system and the people of Kansas."

Those who called for the grand jury were upset with the outcome. They believe the grand jury's case was weakened because the panel did not get all the records it initially sought. The jury convened in December, but saw its investigation delayed for more than a month while it waited on records from Planned Parenthood.

"Planned Parenthood cannot claim they are free of any indictment, because the full evidence never reached the grand jury," said Tim Golba, spokesman for the LIFE (Life Is for Everyone) Coalition, the anti-abortion collaborative that petitioned for the grand jury.

The jurors issued a subpoena in January seeking the records of 16 clinic patients, but Planned Parenthood was concerned that information in the records would identify the patients.

Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline, who has started his own separate investigation into Planned Parenthood, asked District Judge Kevin Moriarty to make the agency and its clinic abide by the subpoena.

Kline also asked for the grand jury's investigation to be extended, given the delay over records.

In the end, Planned Parenthood was allowed to turn over a limited number of records — ones relevant to the grand jury's questions about parental notice and informed consent. Jurors wanted to determine whether the clinic complied with state laws on these issues.

The laws requires a parent or guardian of a minor seeking an abortion to be notified, and that a woman must be given information about the procedure or alternatives 24 hours before an abortion is performed.

Kline spokesman Brian Burgess declined to comment Monday. Burgess said Kline, who is working on a murder trial, was unavailable for comment.

Cheryl Sullenger, spokeswoman with Operation Rescue, one of the groups in the LIFE Coalition, said she isn't surprised by the grand jury's verdict. She said jurors didn't appear to seriously investigate all of the allegations.

"We've been considering a second grand jury effort," Sullenger said. "That's something that's on the table right now.'"

Brownlie said he expected abortion opponents to claim the grand jury's work was tainted.

"Any time a decision is different from the one they want, they will claim it's because of some nefarious doings," he said. "The only people who continue to insist that there's criminal wrongdoing are people who have a political agenda."

[gce65]

That''s because of something the right wingers won''t admit: abortion is LEGAL!
LEAVE THE MATTER BETWEEN A WOMAN AND HER HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.

[magoo2u1]

Ditto.

[michellem99-2009]

Thank ye gce65. May I add. It is none of their dam business as it is legal and between Dr. and the female. I hope them right wing folks learn to mind their business on this issue.

[grammawhamma]

gce65: Smoking is also legal...yet smokers have been almost forced underground. The death penalty is legal in some states yet this might be changed because some consider it cruel and unusual punishment.

I guess the point I''m trying to make is that just because something is legal doesn''t mean it has to be accepted as being right by everyone. Many see abortion as murder and would like to see the abortion laws changed.

[susanhelit]

Score one for the good guys!

Abortion is legal, and if you want to prevent abortion - then you have the baby! But if it''s my body, it is absolutely my choice! I''ve got a 2 year old on my lap here - and after going through pregnancy, I''m more sure of that than ever. I''d never have an abortion - probably - but I did have a "significant risk of maternal and/or fetal mortality" pregnancy related problem. NO WAY do you tell me I have to risk death - only I get to choose that.

[horse3farm]

I have lived in the metropolitan area of Overland Park for 20 years, and all I know is that Phil Kline, attorney general, is not exactly your upstanding politician. He has been the focus of many "inside investigation" probes by the media. He has and will continue to be on a witch hunt to support his stance, instead of considering a different way. He is also very naive, because the population of this country will never be "all for" or "all against" abortion.

[libsrweak]

abortion is suppose to be reserved for situations where the woman is in danger or..the baby is severely deformed or incest or rape..but do you REALLY THINK THAT MAJORITY HAVE ABORTIONS FOR THAT???

most IF NOT ALL SEE ABORTION AS AN ESCAPE FROM RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY..

[mrbrill]

I''m not sure where you get your information, libsrweak. It seems to me you make a lot of it up.

[bud28dy]

Another critical loss for the Christian Taliban. Freedom from religious tyranny lives on when ordinary citizens like these in Kansas stand firmly in the way of extremist organizations.

[fiteit1]

most IF NOT ALL SEE ABORTION AS AN ESCAPE FROM RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY..

And thank god they have that escape. If they didn''t, irresponsible and unaccountable teens would be raising more irresponsible and unaccountable baby machines. And in a lot of cases we have abstinence only teaching to blame followed by parents that don''t talk to their kids.

[fiteit1]

just because something is legal doesn''''t mean it has to be accepted as being right by everyone. Many see abortion as murder and would like to see the abortion laws changed.

How about leaving it legal and if you or a member of your family doesn%u2019t want to do it then don''t. But if a teen finds herself in a situation they have that option.

[p-syrus]

"Planned Parenthood cannot claim they are free of any indictment, because the full evidence never reached the grand jury," said Tim Golba, spokesman for the LIFE (Life Is for Everyone) Coalition, the anti-abortion collaborative that petitioned for the grand jury.

-------

Shows the sort of mindless twits they''ve got fighting these senseless battles against abortion.

Planned Parenthood CAN claim to be FREE of any indictment because there was NO indictment handed down.

Whatever a person''s personal view of abortion, the state has NO LEGITIMATE BASIS for ever MANDATING that a woman be REQUIRED BY LAW to BEAR A CHILD.

That is absolutely the worst sort of government intrusion into the privacy of the individual imaginable.

[afmca]

The Kansas lynch mob was beated back by a grand jury that looked at the case, followed the law, and pronounced that there was no evidence to support an indictment. Now get over it ... as many have said - if you don''t believe in abortion then don''t get one; if you do believe that a woman should have a safe and legal alternative then we must remain vigilant against those that would impose their sense of morality upon us. Isn''t this type of religous oppression the same thing we claim to be fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza, etc. Maybe we should redeply the troops to Kansas!

[godseyesore-2009]

Kansas...the land of OZ. But, thankfully, there is rationality in this grand jury.

[tomanyt]

For all those saying the abortion is bad, I don''t see you racing to your nearest adoption agency to adopt a child. Let people make up their own mind. After all, its between them and their maker (if they believe in one).

[guidosfoot]

libsrweak, what color''s the sky in your world? You nincompoop, there''s nothing in the law that remotely resembles what you claim. Abortion is legal for any reason a woman has, and unless you''re the one who''s pregnant and considering an abortion, it isn''t your call or your business. Get your fat nose out of others'' uteruses.

[guidosfoot]

libsrweak, what color''s the sky in your world? You nincompoop, there''s nothing in the law that remotely resembles what you claim. Abortion is legal for any reason a woman has, and unless you''re the one who''s pregnant and considering an abortion, it isn''t your call or your business. Get your fat nose out of others'' uteruses.

[tomanyt]

guidosfoot....great post.

[guidosfoot]

Thanks. I''ve read this twit''s comments on every topic there is, and Mr. Brill is right--the dimwit makes up most of what he posts.

[ov442]

"Abortion opponents" dont appear to be actual abortion opponents but instead idiots wasting our taxpayer money.

Why dont they go after all those women that didnt get abortions, and carried their babies to full terms and either left them for dead or killed the babies themselves. I, Like all other people, am not Pro abortion, but if the woman is going to do something sick anyway because something is wrong with her, i''d rather she do it to a little blob the size of my eyeball, than to a full term baby that is ready to reach out to the world and be loved.

Why dont they go after the most heinous crimes?
Why dont they try to help the women in need, whatever their needs are, instead of passing laws, and leaving the women for dead in a gutter, and then watching them kill a full term baby?

Those activists actions speak loudly that they are hippocrites and psychotic agenda wielding fanatics with no moral justification for their angry hate filled disaster that is their movement.

[guidosfoot]

Based on the way libs writes, I suspect he''s an unemployed, uneducated man who spouts nonsense on here because nobody with a lick of sense will pay attention to him in real life.

[paganmama]

For all those saying the abortion is bad, I don''''t see you racing to your nearest adoption agency to adopt a child. Let people make up their own mind. After all, its between them and their maker (if they believe in one).
posted by tomanyt at 10:06 AM : Mar 04, 2008
------------------------------------------------------
I agree with you 1000%!

[klingon69]

Thank ye gce65. May I add. It is none of their dam business as it is legal and between Dr. and the female. I hope them right wing folks learn to mind their business on this issue.
Posted by MichelleM99 at 10:55 PM : Mar 03, 2008
Abortion is legal. I may not agree with it, but I have no right to tell another what to do. It should be between the female and her doctor.
My only concerns I will mention here is:
1) What about the child''s father. Does he have any rights or say as to the termination?
2) Abortion as birth control. There needs to be classes given to any woman/girl who reaches puberty about heir sexuality, puberty, birth control, STDs, HIV/Aids...etc.
3) I don''t believe that the taxpayers should have to foot the bill for abortions. That is not the will of ALL the people. If someone supports abortion, allow them to make a tax deductable donation to a planned parenthood center. Do not make the opponents of abortion pay for abortions through government subsidies.

[klingon69]

For all those saying the abortion is bad, I don''''t see you racing to your nearest adoption agency to adopt a child. Let people make up their own mind. After all, its between them and their maker (if they believe in one).
Posted by tomanyt at 10:06 AM : Mar 04, 2008
Many couples are not able to adopt. Courts have made the requirements so difficult, that many who would genuinely like to be parents, cannot achieve that dream.

[guidosfoot]

The Hyde Amendment already prohibits taxes from being used to provide abortions. As for the "rights" of the father, he has none where the fetus is concerned. Unless he grows a uterus, he has no say. Otherwise, a man would be able to legally force a woman to carry a pregnancy to term. That would infringe upon HER rights as a citizen.

[guidosfoot]

While I sympathize with those who want to have children and cannot, and are not able to adopt, it is not a reason to force any woman to be an incubator for others.

[michellem99-2009]

I FAILED TO SAY IT IS NOT A FORM OF BIRTH CONTROL. Which it is not. Ye asked about the male.. It may shock ye. If they are not married, he has no say as that is what a Dr told me.
LET ME BE CLEAR HERE LADIES AND YE GENTS, I feel abortion should be used to save the life of the female,sexx abuse and those unable to care for themselves. Afther an abortion-their tubes fixed so they can''t breed.

[guidosfoot]

You''re entitled to your own feelings, but not to your own facts. The fact is that abortion is a form of birth control in that it does prevent pregnancy from continuing to term. That doesn''t mean it''s used as a primary means of birth control by most women.

Furthermore, you don''t have any say in what a woman does, either, Michelle, unless that woman is you. Blathering on about forcing sterilization on those who obtain a legal medical procedure is ludicrous.

[michellem99-2009]

This is a lady''s issue. I surely do have a say in this. Who is paying to educate the children. IT IS NOT FAIR TO FORCE CARRYING A UNBORN ON A WOMAN. If Drs. would fix a woman''s tubes when she that Dr. to for health reasons or the fact she does not want to bring a child into this cold world. Sure babies are cute but they are DEMANDING. They know no better. I was a teen and heard horror stories of the back alley. A girl bleed to death having an illegal abortion. That was what the girls did in 70. I will stand by my word. Where do ye think the unwanted children go..Certainly not any place nice -foster care. I and others know that life. Did ye read on this site about a baby dumped in a cab.

[guidosfoot]

I think perhaps you should consider being sterilized so as to avoid polluting the gene pool.

[michellem99-2009]

YES I DO as I am 53 and forced to pay to educate that child in the school system. I was fixed at 28 after demanding it. As long as ye have kids in the schools,it is not free, Jane and John Doe Public pays. It would be fair that the parents pay to educate not everybody. Ye think it is right to force a handicapped lady who has the mind of a child to bear a child when the state will take that baby away. I have met persons who should not be mothers as the grandmother of the baby has her paws full. So yes there are ladies the kindest humame thing is to fix them. I had a classmate years ago that when she had her period it unset her as she could not understand why every month.

[guidosfoot]

So because you pay taxes to educate children, you reserve the right to decide who should or shouldn''t have them? Suppose I don''t drive a car? Why should I pay taxes for their construction? Suppose I don''t support the war? Why should my taxes go toward funding it?

You can spew and fuss as much as you want, but your premise is absurd. You don''t want to force women to have children, but you think it''s okay to force them to be sterilized against their will? Neither one is
acceptable and no, you don''t have any right legally to demand either.

[guidosfoot]

Edit to add: Suppose I don''t drive a car. Why should I pay for the construction of roads I don''t use?

The reason we all pay for the education of children who aren''t our own is for the betterment of our society as a whole.

[guidosfoot]

That said, you''re nuts, Michelle.

[guidosfoot]

And what''s with the "ye" business?

[barbjc1]

I am so sick of this abortion issue by those goody two shoes activists. It is no one''s business but the girl/woman''s if she is considering getting an abortion. It is between her, her doctor and her God,if she has a religious faith.
I teach and I have seen too many grandparents raising the child because the biological mother was shamed INTO NOT getting an abortion.
Until you walk in that girl/woman''s shoes shut up.

[michellem99-2009]

BarbCJ1 Teachers do not tell others to shut up. It is rude. Them shoes ye said they hurt. Had a teacher told me to shut up I be right down to the office telling them that teacher is out of line. I would have if he/she did. Quiet please is the right term.
As to the poster that called Michelle a nut well Dear that is not yer place to call any one nuts.. As for my poor grammar I am 53 and legally blind. I am irish/American. My kin way back came from there. Barbara-Ann

[guidosfoot]

I notice, Michelle, that you haven''t bothered to refute what I said about the cost of education. I also see that you can''t refute what I said about your right to determine who is or is not fit to bear children. You can assert that you''re not nuts, but that you''re not ignorant of the law--that isn''t even debatable.