Remember former Kansas attorney general Phil Kline? Sure you do! He's the anti-choice zealot who became famous for demanding records on abortion from Kansas clinics so he could "fight child rape," since an abortion by a teenager younger than 16 would be proof of lawbreaking, as it falls below Kansas' age of consent. A fine argument, one only complicated by the fact that Kline was not seeking out birth records of hospitals, because...well, they're not providing abortions, now are they?Kline's best moment, though, was when he tried to force health care workers to report as abuse any sexual contact between teens under 16. And by "any," he meant "any," down to kissing. Of course, as always, he was going after abortion clinics, because they didn't report such things to him. I wonder why?
At any rate, Kline was swept from office in 2006 in favor of a pro-choice Democrat. In Kansas. And you'd think that would be the end of it, but no, Kline landed on his feet as Johnson County attorney. And he hasn't given up on his favorite hobby:
A Planned Parenthood clinic was charged Wednesday with providing unlawful abortions and other crimes by a county prosecutor who had engaged in a high-profile battle with the clinic when he was Kansas attorney general.
Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline charged the Overland Park, Kan., clinic with 107 counts, 23 of them felonies. Besides 29 misdemeanor counts of providing unlawful late-term abortions, the clinic is charged with multiple counts of making a false writing, failure to maintain records and failure to determine viability.
Case documents have been sealed, according to a court order. The first hearing is set for Nov. 16.
Kline's office did not immediately comment on the charges.
Peter Brownlie, Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri's president and chief executive officer, said Wednesday that the group hasn't had any contact with the district attorney's office but has heard rumors for months that Kline, an abortion opponent, was planning to file criminal charges.
"I've heard nothing at all about specific charges that have been filed," Brownlie said. "We always provide high-quality care in full accord with state and federal law."
As for allegations that Planned Parenthood performed illegal late-term abortions, Brownlie said its clinic doesn't perform any abortions past the 22nd week of pregnancy.
Attorney General Paul Morrison previously reviewed all of the allegations upon which Kline's criminal charges are based and found no wrongdoing, Morrison spokeswoman Ashley Anstaett said.
"We are skeptical that these charges have any merit, and we continue to wonder how much politics influenced Mr. Kline's decision to file these charges," Anstaett said.
I'm shocked that Anstaett could say such a thing. Politics influenced Kline's decision one hundred percent! It's no wonder Pitch has labeled Kline the Dimwit D.A.
Undoubtedly anti-choicers will be thrilled that Kline's still stickin' it to the man; that "the man" in this choice is a reproductive health center is irrelevant, because we all know that Planned Parenthood is bigger than Microsoft. And they'll quietly scuttle away when the case is inevitably dismissed for lack of merit. And Kline will find some other outrageous way to attack legal abortion until he finally is forced out of the legal profession for abusing his office. Indeed, I'm sure all the Duke Rape Case fanatics will be clamoring for this rogue D.A. to be jailed, too. Right? Right?
Yeah, right.
