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Tiller Trial Seen As Day of Reckoning

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Tiller Trial Seen As Day of Reckoning WWW.THELEAVEN.COM | NEWSPAPER OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF KANSAS CITY IN KANSAS | VOL. 30, NO. 31 MARCH 27, 2009 ABORTIONIST ON TRIAL Notorious late-term abortionist George Tiller faces criminal charges Mike Hutmacher/Wichita Eagle/MCT Dr. George Tiller enters the courtroom March 23 on the first day of his jury trial in Wichita. Tiller faces 19 misdemeanor counts charging he had an improper financial relationship with a Lawrence doc - tor providing second opinions on late-term abortions. Tiller trial seen as Archbishop, pro-lifers day of reckoning contest governor’s claim By JOE BOLLIG to pro-life credentials Leaven staff By JOE BOLLIG KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The day that many pro- Leaven staff life veterans hoped for, but thought they might never see, has finally come. KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Call it a tale of two Web Doctor George Tiller, one of only two late-term sites. abortion providers in the nation, is on trial for vio - They have the same subject, but are diametrical - lating Kansas’ late-term abortion laws. ly opposed in their view of a certain politician: Pro-life advocates have asserted for several Governor Kathleen Sebelius. years that Tiller, working from his Women’s The first, a project of Catholics United, is Health Care Services clinic in Wichita, was violat - Catholics for Kathleen Sebelius, at: www.catholics ing Kansas’ relatively strict late-term abortion forsebelius.org. laws. The second, sponsored by Catholic Advocate, is They could not, however, get the judicial ma - Catholics against Kathleen Sebelius, at: www. chinery moving until former Kansas attorney gen - catholicsagainstsebelius.org. eral Phill Kline began an investigation in 2003. Six Both sites argue over the governor’s stands on years of investigation, legal maneuvering and de - life issues. The first claims Gov. Sebelius is pro-life, lay followed, culminating in this trial. Photo courtesy of Operation Rescue while the second claims she is anything but. The trial is taking place in Sedgwick County Governor Kathleen Sebelius hosted a dinner at Cedar Crest for Mary Kay Culp, executive director of Kansans for District Court, Wichita, Judge Clark V. Owens pre - George Tiller (left), fellow abortionists LeRoy Carhart, Shelly Sella Life, says it’s not even close. In her judgment, the siding. and Susan Robinson, and 20 Tiller clinic staffers. The shirt held by governor is firmly pro-choice. Culp and other the governor refers to election victories of candidates supported Turn to TILLER on page 4 by Tiller and his political action committee. Turn to RECORD on page 5 2 ARCHBISHOP THE LEAVEN • MARCH 27, 2009 THE LEAVEN • MARCH 27, 2009 SECOND FRONT PAGE 3 LIFE WILL BE VICTORIOUS Governor’s claim of reducing abortions deserves closer scrutiny Mother Teresa’s his week, I complete places no limits on the free expression Sebelius claim that she accepts T of religious groups or religious leaders Catholic teaching because she main - rosary gives my answers to some because they are religious. tains that she is personally opposed of the questions that have The Catholic Church in the United to abortion. Why is this not suffi - States under the leadership of its first cient? comfort to those arisen because of my bishop, Archbishop John Carroll of comments on the nomi - Baltimore, chose not to engage in par - A. Governor Sebelius has been a tisan politics. Archbishop Carroll, as featured speaker for Planned nation by President well as succeeding generations of Parenthood, the largest abortion in difficult times American Catholic bishops, did not provider in the United States. She has Obama of Governor abortions, but in the context of where consider it prudent to tie the church’s been endorsed by Emily’s List, a politi - fort and assurance that their “absolute personal opposition to credibility to any politician or political cal action committee that only sup - By JOHN HEUERTZ Kathleen Sebelius to God is still with us,” said procured abortion was well-known.” party. Thus, the church has requested ports candidates who support state- Special to The Leaven Good Shepherd’s director serve as the next secre - In the case of Governor Sebelius, the that her pastors not engage in partisan sanctioned abortion. Governor of Caring Ministry, opposite is true. Her advocacy for le - politics by supporting particular candi - Sebelius has claimed that she has been SHAWNEE — How tary for Health and Bernadine Asher. “We at - galized abortion is well-known and a dates or political parties. a leader in keeping abortion legal. She could a modest plastic tribute the power to trust Human Services (HHS). matter of public record. has helped to raise funds for the rosary be such a comfort in God.” Q. Does the Church’s tax- Women’s Political Caucus whose first to the many people who Karen Roberts has used Q. Did not the policies of Q. Did not the governor support exempt status limit the free expres - criterion for candidate endorsement is have used it? Perhaps it the Mother Teresa rosary Governor Sebelius actually reduce a Kansas program to assist women sion of the church? support for legalized abortion. In fact, has something to do with at prayer vigils held in abortions in Kansas? who are choosing life for their un - the Women’s Political Caucus will not its previous owner — front of a local abortion born child? A. Yes. By accepting tax-exempt support a pro-life woman candidate Mother Teresa of clinic. A. It is true that the number of status, a church or any nonprofit ac - and will even support a pro-abortion Calcutta. “Sharing it with people abortions declined in Kansas in the A. Yes and no. This program was cepts the limitation of not participating male candidate over a pro-life female In 1981, a local is very special,” believes past six years, but they also declined already in place when Governor in partisan politics and is limited in the candidate. Catholic businessman the Good Shepherd throughout the nation. If Governor Sebelius was elected. Several years amount of resources that it can devote It is not acceptable for a Catholic to found himself praying the parishioner. “It’s very Sebelius wants to claim credit for re - ago, she vetoed this program, citing to lobbying. These tax-exempt restric - claim to be personally opposed to rosary with Mother Teresa special to hold on to the ducing abortions in Kansas, then by the need to reduce state spending. The tions correspond to the Catholic abortion while working to keep abor - and her companion Sister, rosary while you're pray - the same logic she has to accept re - next year, when the Legislature passed Church’s two-hundred-year-old inter - tion legal. The Catholic Church oppos - who were seated next to ing.” sponsibility for the state’s huge budget the program by a veto-proof margin, nal policy not to endorse political can - es abortion because every abortion de - him on a flight to Kansas Jason and Amy Specht, problems. While the governor may she signed it. The governor’s proposed didates or parties. Similarly, a very stroys an innocent human life, a truth City. When they finished, too, have often used the have done some things that positively budget again eliminates this program small percentage of the Catholic understandable, purely through rea - Mother Teresa gave him Mother Teresa rosary for and negatively affected both of these in 2010. What the governor chooses to Church’s resources are used for issue son. It is not morally coherent to be her rosary (see inset pho - their own special inten - events in Kansas, in actuality, the de - fund and not fund reveals her priori - advocacy. personally opposed to the destruction to) and predicted he’d tion — their infant son crease in abortions and our current ties. The church, however, has always of innocent human lives and at the pray it often in the future. Grady’s good health. economic woes are part of a much big - cherished its right and responsibility to same time support laws that protect He did. After about a “He has an inoperable ger picture. Q. Are your comments about address public policy issues with a abortionists and fail to protect inno - year, the businessman brain tumor called gangli - Certainly, the governor has support - Governor Sebelius’ nomination to moral dimension. The church could cent unborn children. and his wife lent the olioma,” explained Amy. ed some positive policies. For example, HHS a violation of the separation of never relinquish this right, even for the rosary to a family friend “He’s [already] had four I have praised the governor for her church and state? benefit of tax-exempt status. Conclusion: I hope that my an - who was seriously ill with surgeries and he’s only support for incentives to promote My statements and pastoral actions swers to the preceding questions have cancer. She recovered two and a half. He’s been adoption. Yet, in her career as a legis - A. The anti-establishment clause pertaining to Governor Sebelius were provided you with a better under - completely the following through a lot in his young lator and as the state’s chief executive, of the First Amendment is meant to to clarify Catholic teaching regarding standing of my rationale and motiva - year, and knew it was life.” Governor Sebelius opposed such mod - protect religious expression, not to the morality of abortion and its legal - tion for commenting on the nomina - time to pass the rosary The parish offered the est abortion legislation as parental no - limit it. Our Founding Fathers wished ization. They obviously were not timed tion of Governor Sebelius to serve as along to the next person rosary to the family for its tification for minors, informed consent to prevent the state from intervening to affect an election.
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