After George Tiller was murdered by Scott Roeder in 2009, his family decided to close his Wichita clinic and get out of the abortion business--leaving Wichita without an abortion clinic. Well, an abortion-rights group recently bought the clinic and is now hoping to reopen it in the spring. Predictably, the area forced-birthers are up in arms.
Anti-abortion groups are trying to block or delay the reopening of the clinic through a rezoning petition and complaints to the city that permits haven't been issued as required for the clinic's indoor remodeling.After Tiller's death, Burkhart helped form the Trust Women Foundation, which spent almost three years raising money to buy the clinic from the Tiller family. Burkhart fully expects a bare-knuckle battle--her own home has been the target of pickets in the past, and she's been called a murderer in anti-abortion literature."Once they get the permits we'll be off to the next thing - we will try to persuade contractors not to work there," said Cheryl Sullenger of the Wichita chapter of Operation Rescue.
The attempted roadblocks cast in front of the clinic before it even opens are not discouraging leaders of the organization that bought the building, where abortions, family planning and other gynecological care would be offered.
"We will continue to move forward to see that women have their rights," said Julie Burkhart, who worked with Tiller's clinic for eight years on political and legislative issues. "It's incredibly important because women in this region need access to good medical care."
