September 26, 2014

Abortion clinics in Illinois and Kansas ready to “accommodate some extra volume“

Abortionist Dr. Erin KingAbortionist Dr. Erin King (right)

Is anyone—anyone—surprised that abortion clinics outside of Missouri are already trolling for pregnant women?

As NRL News Today readers recall, on September 10, the Missouri legislature overrode Governor Jay Nixon’s veto of two very important pro-life bills and one line item veto of a budget increase for Missouri’s Alternatives to Abortion Program.

The best known measure–HB 1307–increases the time of reflection after counseling before an abortion can be performed from 24 hours to 72 hours.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran an article today, headlined “Out-of-state abortion providers ready to treat more Missouri women.” The abortion clinics—in Illinois and Kansas—tell reporter Samantha Liss they are not sure if women will come looking but if they do, well, they can count on the Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, Illinois, and the Wichita, Kansas-based South Wind Women’s Center.

Dr. Erin King is the associate medical director at Hope Clinic for Women which is only 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis. In Liss’s story we read

“’We are prepared to handle women from Missouri that come over the river from Missouri because of the restrictions,’ King said. ‘We are able to accommodate some extra volume … if it becomes a lot higher than, yes, absolutely we would hire (more) people.’ That would include both clinical staff and counselors, King said.

“King said her group tries to provide as much information about women’s options and the state-imposed wait times on its website.

“’I think a lot of people don’t realize that the restrictions are state-based and not put in place by the facility,’ King said. ‘We do spend a fair amount of time on the website trying to explain (wait times) so they can tell what their options are, and, hopefully, will be able to access care when they want instead of having to wait.’”

Julie Burkhart runs the South Wind Women’s Center abortion clinicJulie Burkhart runs the South Wind Women’s Center abortion clinic
So, just check out their handy-dandy website. Hope Clinic for Women will hire as many abortionists and/or support staff as necessary to accommodate any “extra volume.”
Then, of course, there is Julie Burkhart, the former Political Action Committee director for the late George Tiller, who performed abortions in Kansas up through the ninth month of pregnancy.

Burkhart runs the South Wind Women’s Center (SWWC) abortion clinic and uses an Illinois fly-in abortionist, Cheryl Chastine as well as Allen Palmer, one of Planned Parenthood’s abortionists. In the past few months, she has added two new abortionists, one from Minnesota and one from Missouri.

SWWC is located in the same Wichita, Kansas, building Tiller occupied for decades. Reporters were informed SWWC hopes to expand to Oklahoma City and possibly beyond. It is “almost a three-hour drive from Missouri’s west edge,” Liss reported.

“If Burkhart’s center sees an influx of patients,” Liss wrote, “ she said her organization ‘would definitely consider’ adding staff.” (According to Kansan pro-lifers, Burkhart already had recently hired two more abortionists.)

The temptation to invoke the obvious imagery—of these abortion clinics as sharks circling about their prey—is almost overwhelming.

We know three things. First, that pro-abortionists would not scream to high heaven when such laws are passed if all they did was move women from aborting in one state to aborting in another. Some will, of course, but many won’t, particularly when the state is helping (however modestly) crisis pregnancy centers.

Second, we need to pass more protective laws in more states.

Third, until Roe is reversed and protective legislation passed in all 50 states, the lives of many babies will be lost. But that does not mean we don’t do what can do now.

Every baby saved is a precious life preserved and one less chance for the abortion industry to fill its coffers.

NRL News, Dave Andrusko