1. Tiller faces criminal misdemeanor charges on 19 illegal late-term abortions committed in 2003 not signed off by an unaffiliated physician. For this Tiller could lose his license and spend a year in jail for each convicted count.

2. Tiller just lost his battle to block a grand jury from being convened to investigate illegal late-term abortions Tiller may have committed since 2003, with a petitioner request that Sedgwick County DA Nola Foulston and AG Paul Morrison, both with ties to Tiller, not be involved in this investigation.

3. KS legislators conducted a 2-day hearing earlier this month investigating Tiller's late-term abortion practices to consider finding and strengthening loopholes in current late-term abortion laws. As part of this, one of Tiller's patients, Michelle Arnesto-Berg, testifed that when he aborted her in May 2003 she signed no consent form, was asked for no medical information, and was never diagnosed with any condition that met the legal requirement of "substantial and irreversible impairment" for abortions after 22 weeks. Only recently Michelle learned Tiller charted her baby as nonviable, which was news to her. Hear Michelle's testimony here.

Here is the Los Angeles Times front page story, today. Tiller's quote at the very end of the story is most interesting....

[HT: Operation Rescue; photo courtesy of LAT]

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-tiller17sep17,1,4721245.story?ctrack=4&cset=true

Los Angeles Times
For Kansas abortion doctor, pressure mounts
George Tiller is to be tried on 19 counts of failing to get an independent second opinion in late-term procedures. And activists aim to force an inquiry by a grand jury.
By Stephanie Simon
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

September 17, 2007

Antiabortion activists in Kansas are stepping up a campaign to drive one of the nation's last late-term abortion providers out of business.

Dr. George Tiller, who draws patients from across the country to his Wichita clinic, faces trial next month on 19 misdemeanor counts. The charges -- which he vigorously disputes -- accuse him of aborting viable fetuses without first consulting an independent physician as required by state law.

Each count carries a penalty of up to a year in jail. If convicted, Tiller could also lose his medical license.

His opponents aren't waiting for the outcome of the trial.

This month, the antiabortion group Kansans for Life submitted nearly 8,000 signatures to Sedgwick County District Court in Wichita, calling for a grand jury to review Tiller's handling of late-second- and third-trimester abortions. Tiller's lawyers appealed to federal court to block the grand jury, calling it a "vigilante effort," but were rebuffed last week. State law allows citizens to force the seating of a grand jury.

At the Capitol, meanwhile, a committee controlled by antiabortion lawmakers held a two-day hearing this month to lay the groundwork for tougher restrictions on abortion. Among the witnesses: a woman who said Tiller rushed her into an abortion at the end of her second trimester without counseling, informed consent or a second opinion because she had arrived late for her appointment at the clinic. State officials said they might investigate those claims.

"This is the beginning of the end for Tiller," said Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue, a Wichita-based antiabortion group.

Kansas law requires any physician who performs an abortion at or after 22 weeks' gestation to first determine whether the fetus is viable, meaning it could survive outside the womb. Aborting a viable fetus is permitted only if two doctors certify that continuing the pregnancy could kill the woman or cause her "substantial and irreversible" harm to "a major bodily function." Tiller has reported aborting more than 2,600 viable fetuses since the law took effect in 1998.

His attorneys and supporters say Tiller has done nothing wrong. And some of his patients, expressing deep gratitude for his work, have shared their stories.

At AHeartbreakingChoice .com, several women explain why they traveled to Wichita to abort much-wanted pregnancies, long after they had decorated nurseries and chosen baby names.

"The scan showed that her little brain was severely calcified," one wrote.

"She would have required a minimum of three surgeries to even enable her to take her first breath," another said.

The women write that they were well into the second half of their pregnancies, some into the third trimester, before the fetal defects were diagnosed. "I loved and wanted my baby very much," one wrote. "I loved her so much that I would rather her go back to God than suffer for even one day."

Tiller also accepts some late-term patients with healthy fetuses. Among them, he has said, have been girls as young as 10, rape victims, alcoholics, drug addicts, and women who were suicidal or depressed or who feared their relatives would harm them if they continued the pregnancy. Tiller has said a few of his patients were just a week or two from their due dates.

In December, the state's attorney general at the time, Phill Kline, charged Tiller with aborting viable fetuses even when the pregnant women did not face grave and lasting heath threats.

Kline subpoenaed patient records; he said they showed that Tiller had justified the abortions by diagnosing women with anxiety or a single episode of depression.Because of a jurisdictional dispute, the charges were dropped just days before Kline left office. He had lost his bid for reelection in large part because his opponent, Paul Morrison, painted him as an antiabortion extremist.

When Morrison took office, he declined to refile the charges against Tiller.

But Morrison did launch his own investigation using the limited number of patient medical files available to him. That resulted in the 19 misdemeanor counts pending in District Court. The charges allege that Tiller did not get the required second opinion from an independent doctor on some late-term cases, but rather relied on a physician with financial ties to his practice.

Tiller attorney Dan Monnat said "there was nothing illegal in the relationship" between the two physicians.

Monnat has filed a brief contesting the requirement for a second opinion. The U.S. Supreme Court and federal appeals courts have repeatedly struck down such requirements as infringing on a physician's right to practice medicine.

The courts have also held that laws banning abortion must make exceptions to protect the woman's health, including her mental health.

Determined to keep the pressure on Tiller, antiabortion activists have spent the last year staging prayer vigils and protest rallies -- at least one of them promoted nationally by Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly, who has referred to the doctor on air as "Tiller the baby killer."

About 10 days before one of the bigger rallies, in July, unknown vandals drilled holes through the roof of Tiller's one-story clinic and threaded a hose into the building, apparently trying to flood it. The resulting damage -- and lingering mold -- forced Tiller to close his practice for more than a month.

But now he is seeing patients again, and his allies are betting that he'll weather the storm, just as he has in the past.

His clinic was bombed in 1986 and blockaded for six weeks in 1991. In 1993, an antiabortion activist shot Tiller through both arms; he was back at work the next day.

In 2005, antiabortion activists circulated petitions to force a grand jury investigation into the treatment of a 19-year-old mentally disabled patient who died of complications from an early-third-trimester abortion at Tiller's clinic. The grand jury found no grounds for criminal indictment.

In a rare interview two years ago, Tiller said he tried to block out the protests and the politics so he could focus on his patients.

"If I engage, then I wear out, and I have less . . . stamina for what goes on inside the clinic," he said. "If I give away my emotional serenity, they win."

one of Tiller's patients, Michelle Arnesto-Berg, testifed that when he aborted her in May 2003 she signed no consent form, was asked for no medical information, and was never diagnosed with any condition that met the legal requirement of "substantial and irreversible impairment" for abortions after 22 weeks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All of those thins might be important if she had been harmed, but she wasn't.
He gave her the abortion she wanted and paid good money for, and THEN she turns around and whines? She should be grateful.

Tiller the Killer is finally going to face justice. It is about time. By the way Laura, "Dr" Tiller has chaplain services to help patients deal with the abortion of their baby. His website uses the word baby. He even offers memorial services. That's unusual if it is just a fetus or nothing more than a problematic boil that has to be lansed.

Laura,

I can't imagine any doctor in his/her right mind conducting their practice like this. I promise you, their career would be brief.
A consent form is standard for any surgical or medical procedure. Any doctor can be legally hanged for operating or performing a procedure on a patient without first obtaining written and informed consent. The consent must be thorough and verify the patient was accurately informed of the procedure and the risks. Permits cannot be signed if a patient has received any sedation or narcotic or who is a minor. In an emergency, a spouse, parent, or sibling must sign.
No pre-operative medical information? Again any doctor who does not interview a patient first and obtain a medical history is asking to be legally hanged. This is only acceptable in an emergency situation, and then you make every effort to find out what you can from the nearest relative.

I don't think anyone would be grateful if they were forced into an abortion. I heard her testimony. She didn't want to go through with it.

And you think it's okay that this was all done even though she didn't sign any consent forms, met with another physician to get a second opinion to make sure this was not going to be against any laws, received her "counseling," etc.? It doesn't matter if she was harmed or NOT. I know you wouldn't get open heart surgery without signing any forms. PLUS I don't think a professional doctor would EVER do a procedure/surgery without signing ANY forms FIRST.

Her baby was killed right when she walked through those clinic doors. Just because they didn't want to reschedule her since she arrived late. Just as you put it, "she [wanted and] paid good money for [the abortion]" I think that's the only reason why the clinic staff and doctor rushed her into it.

They wanted that "good money" no matter what.

From a pamphlet handed out by Tiller's mill concerning the chapliancy program: "Many patients request a rememberance of their baby to take home with them." "Once the process of healing has begun, you may want to consider a token of the precious time you and you baby had together." "All of these features of our program will be discussed with you while you are here: viewing of baby after delivery, holding of baby after delivery, photographs of baby after delivery, and footprints of baby after delivery". Is this guy for real?? Assuming the babies even have feet after they are mangled by Tiller.

Assuming the babies even have feet after they are mangled by Tiller.

Tiller kills via a lethal injection into the baby's heart and typically the big babies are born whole. One time, he missed- and hit little Sarah Brown in the head. The injection of potassium chloride was in two places, the left side of her forehead above the eyebrow and at the base of the skull, leaving permanent burn marks and needle track scars. Sarah was born alive, transferred to the hospital, and eventually adopted by a pro-life couple.

Tiller's injection caused the left portion of Sarah�s brain to be damaged, leaving her blind, unable to walk and totally dependent She required 15 different types of medication, two and three times a day, to synthetically replace what had been destroyed. At age five she weighed 25 lbs and was the size of a two year old. She died of kidney failure at age 5. Tiller had finally finished her off.

When this man ends up in jail, where he can kill no more women and children, I am having a party. You are all invited.

Jacqueline, the more I read about this guy the more horrified I become. Just when I thought he couldn't get any worse. I will definately attend any party that celebrates his incarceration.

I will definately attend any party that celebrates his incarceration.

or incineration!

"Many patients request a rememberance of their baby to take home with them."

oh my, how horribly disgusting.

I don't know how women could live with having pictures of their dead baby and think it's okay. They must have one sick mind.

I'll come to the party!

The power of prayer & calling on the name of Jesus Christ is definately working out here in Aurora! I think we should all stop & pray for our brothers & sisters who are fighting this evil in Kansas! Amen?

To our brothers and sisters in Kansas: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified;do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Tiller needs to be convicted, tossed in jail, and the key ought to be thrown away!

Tiller has said a few of his patients were just a week or two from their due dates.

And they keep telling us that it "never happens" that late in gestation. Yeah right.

According to Tiller's website, the average gestational age of the babies with fetal abnormalities that he kills is 27 weeks. The range is 15-38 weeks. The average age for the mother is 29 years old and 81% are married. He calls himself a specialist in late abortion care. As the mom of a disabled child, I am disgusted by this man. Many in society focus on what they believe the disabled take away from society(funds,resources,time) and not on what they add to it. The disabled teach people about determination and unconditional love. They make those caring for them stronger people. They bring alot of joy to many people. As more disabilities are detected through prenatal genetic testing, more disabled children will be aborted and our society will be poorer for it.

Carrie,

Mr. Tiller is the antichrist! If ever a man was working for the "other side" it's him.

You're fairly new here I think, but trust me, Tiller is one of our favorite targets.

SoMG idolizes him. He and Tiller are the very definitions of sociopaths. As Heather likes to say, if you go to these two for medical care, keep your eye on the pillows, and your finger on the call button.

MK, I have been a lurker for awhile so I am familiar with SoMG. I am not surprised to hear he idolizes Tiller. Birds of a feather......

MK, LOL! Welcome carrie!

Tiller just lost his battle to block a grand jury?..................God is working.

Tiller is the antichrist!

I have heard that said about Bush, Cheney, Reagan, and Barney the Purple Dinosaur.

So, what to think.....

(Or does Cheney have on a disguise over purple skin?)

Doug -

Although I agree that Tiller is the Antichrist and disagree with your comments......

Your forgot to put Tinky Winky from the Teletubbies on that list.

;-)

Believe me - if it ever comes out that the Antichrist was involved with the production of the Teletubbies, it won't surprise me one whit.

Carrie,

"Many in society focus on what they believe the disabled take away from society(funds,resources,time) and not on what they add to it. "

Since you've been a lurker for awhile, then you know our post-abortive residents. So your above comment rightfully applies to them, except that in all likelihood their little ones weren't disabled but they suctioned out the gift anyways.

Carder, good point. Some people view any little one as a burden and a drain. People need to realize that we all need each other to survive. No one is 100% independent, even a fully functioning adult.

All I know is that if it wasn't for my son I would forget everything. There is a certain blessing to a mildly autistic/Obsessive Compulsive son! I just have to tell him my grocery list, and he does the rest!

;-)

It may not be the way some people want to live, but it is the way he is and he is happy. If finding the cure to his problems means that people can use that finding to abort, I hope they never find a cure!

Valerie, my son has autism. I know he has brought so much to my life. I also know more than I ever thought I would know about Transformers and the history of Looney Tunes. I totally agree with your second point also!!!!!!!