Kansans for Life applauds the Sedgwick County Commission for recommending that the County Health Officer, Dr. Garold Minns, and Governor Laura Kelly issue orders halting elective abortions in Kansas during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The recommendation comes as the so-called “Trust Women” clinic has been encouraging out-of-state individuals to come to Wichita, and continues to utilize medical equipment that is in short supply.
“Kansans are living under stay at home orders, yet the abortion industry is steering out-of-state individuals to the Wichita clinic, potentially exposing countless individuals to COVID-19,”said Jeanne Gawdun, KFL Director of Government Relations. “Furthermore, elective surgeries are being canceled across our state and nation, yet the “Trust Women” abortion clinic continues to utilize scarce personal protective equipment. The Sedgwick County Commission made the right decision and we hope that Dr. Minns and Governor Kelly do the right thing.”
In a recent interview with Vice.com, “Trust Women” CEO Julie Burkhart confirmed that all 13 of the abortionists who rotate through her Kansas and Oklahoma clinics travel from out-of-state. “Trust Women” is also actively encouraging women from around and outside of Kansas to travel to Wichita for abortions.
Gawdun continued, ” Trust Women’s Oklahoma City clinic has stopped performing abortions, due to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s executive order postponing elective surgeries (including abortion) in order to protect the citizens of Oklahoma and preserve the resources needed to combat the virus. But here in Kansas, it is business as usual for the abortion industry, which is known for putting profits ahead of the health and safety of patients.”
The recommendation was approved with a 4-1 vote. Commissioners Dennis, Howell, Meitzner and O’Donnell supported the recommendation.
A combined statement from the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Pediatricians, Christian Medical & Dental Associations, Catholic Medical Association, and Association of American Physicians and Surgeons responded to the abortion industry’s insistence that, “abortion is an essential component of comprehensive health care.”
“… over 85% of practicing obstetricians and gynecologists do not perform elective abortions. If elective abortion were an ‘essential component’ of women’s health care, it would be a part of every obstetric and gynecologic practice.
Currently, across the United States, services that do constitute essential health care for women, including routine Pap smears, mammograms, and pelvic exams, are being postponed in order to reduce everyone’s risk of exposure to COVID-19, and to conserve scarce medical resources.”
The response from the five different physician’s organizations represents the voices of over 30,000 different physicians. To read the full statement from these medical organizations, go to the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists press release.