Topeka, KS – A new executive director has been appointed to the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts to replace Larry Buening, who resigned amid criticism of Board foot-dragging on processing complaints against physicians.

Jack Confer, Executive Director of the Arizona Board of Osteopathy, will assume his duties with the KSBHA on July 14. Confer will serve on an interim basis pending confirmation by the State Senate.

“The Board, under Buening’s leadership, did not do its job of protecting patients, especially from exploitation by shoddy abortionists,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman, who often called for Buening’s resignation. “Confer certainly has his work cut out for him if he is to restore public confidence in the Board’s ability to protect the public. He can start by leaving any political posturing at home. He must look at the complaints on their merits, not on what will please Gov. Sebelius.”

“There are currently four complaints pending against abortionist George Tiller, one dating back to 2006,” said Operation Rescue Senior Policy Advisor Cheryl Sullenger. “In fact, the basis of that 2006 complaint involved allegations that Tiller committed illegal abortions by violating the second unaffiliated physician requirement in Kansas law, something with which he has since been criminally charged. Yet, Tiller continues to operate without restriction. This is putting viable babies who should have legal protection at grave risk.”

In addition, Sullenger recently filed a complaint against Tiller and his employee, abortionist Shelley Sella, who is alleged by an eyewitness to have stabbed to death a 35-week old baby that was born alive during an abortion.

“The extreme seriousness of the allegations against Tiller demand swift action in the interest of public safety,” said Sullenger.

“We call Mr. Confer to make it his first priority, upon assuming his new position, to do his duty to protect the most innocent and vulnerable among us by immediately closing Tiller’s abortion mill and suspending the medical licenses of Tiller and Sella,” said Newman. “We certainly will not hesitate to voice our opinion during the Senate confirmation process, if it appears that Confer is just another abortion industry shill. ”

Operation Rescue calls for immediate suspension of Sella’s medical license and for an emergency closure of Tiller’s late-term abortion mill in light of this shocking audio-taped admission.

Wichita, KS – A murder investigation has been opened involving Shelley Sella, a California abortionist employed by George Tiller, who is reported to have intentionally stabbed to death an infant born alive during an abortion at Tiller’s Women’s Health Care Services abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas.

Listen to the interview excerpt (1 min. 38 sec.)

On the advice of an attorney, Operation Rescue reported the incident to the Wichita Police Department after a former Tiller employee, Tina David, told Troy Newman and Cheryl Sullenger of the stabbing in April. It is believed that the alleged infanticide took place sometime in the past two years.

In addition, the incident has been reported to the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts, which has confirmed that the case has been assigned to an investigator.

Ms. David is a Licensed Practical Nurse, and was the only licensed medical person in Tiller’s employment at that time, except for his three out-of-state abortionists, who work at WHCS on a three-week rotating schedule.

Abortionist Shelley Sella is a “circuit rider” who splits her time between Tiller’s Wichita clinic, a California Planned Parenthood clinic, and other, smaller abortion mills.

“Ms. David gave us a very specific eye-witness account about the incident,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “We were told that the baby was 35 weeks gestation at the time of the abortion. The baby came out and was moving. Sella looked up at Ms. David, then picked up a utensil and stabbed the baby in the left ribcage, twisting the utensil until the baby quit moving. At 35 weeks, there is no doubt about viability. This is murder in anybody’s book.”

Ms. David could not explain why the baby was born alive since abortions that late in the pregnancy usually begin with a fatal injection into the baby’s heart. However, Operation Rescue has been told by former abortion patients that sometimes the first injection is not always successful. (Read how these abortions are done.)

In fact, Sella was involved in the abortion of Michelle Armesto-Berge, who testified before a Kansas legislative committee last September of her horrific late-term abortion experience at WHCS. According to her medical records, which she released to Operation Rescue, Armesto-Berge received the digoxin injection at the beginning of her abortion process, and was forced to receive a second injection by Sella when it was discoverd that her baby was still alive the following day.

“The digoxin injection into the baby’s heart is a difficult and risky procedure,” said Newman. “Sella doesn’t appear to be very good at it.”

Ms. David also told Operation Rescue that on four occasions of which she was aware, women received the digoxin injection into their babies’ hearts, and were sent home to their primary physician for “delivery of the stillborn.”

“This practice has extreme risks, because the women, who come from all over the Western Hemisphere, could go into labor or experience a number of other dangerous complications before they are able to get to their own doctors,” said Newman. “It is shocking that this is allowed.”

“We understand there are unique challenges to getting charges filed in this case since the body would have been cremated at Tiller’s on-site crematorium. Without a body, any murder case becomes more difficult,” said Newman. “However, because of the brutality of this murder and the gravity of this charge, we are compelled to demand that Tiller’s clinic be closed by the State until a full inspection and investigation can take place, and that the medical licenses of Sella and her boss, Tiller, be immediately suspended.”

“We also understand that because Ms. David’s employment at WHCS was terminated, that damages her credibility,” Newman continued. “But we have every reason to believe that the story she told us was true. We have been able to confirm many of the other things she told us. Ms. David came forward because she was troubled by what went on at the abortion clinic, and was seeking peace. We pray she finds it. ”

In March, 2008, Students for Life in America released an undercover video where Tiller told them that if a baby is born alive during an abortion, “It’s just sloppy technique. It is just technique that is reprehensible.” He added, “The guy that did that ought to have his head beat up.”

Listen to the interview excerpt (1 min. 38 sec.)
Read the transcript

San Diego, CA – Bertha Bugarin was arrested on Thursday and jailed in San Diego on ten felonies and one misdemeanor for practicing medicine and prescribing drugs without a license. If convicted, she faces nine years in jail.

Bugarin, who has no medical training, owns five abortion mills in Southern California, including one in Chula Vista, a southern suburb of San Diego. She had been posing as a doctor, performing abortions illegally for $500.

Nine women came forward with stories of botched abortions received at Bugarin’s hand. Many women suffered from incomplete abortions and were forced to return to have their abortions done again. One woman was hospitalized three times, and birthed a live baby that died three hours later.

Bugarin made a court appearance yesterday dressed in blue jailhouse garb and shackled at the waist. She was being held on $500,000 bond. Her arraignment is scheduled for July 2.

These charges add to Bugarin’s legal woes. In August, 2007, Bugarin was arrested in Los Angeles after a the police raided four of her clinics. She was charged in Los Angeles County with 18 counts committing abortions without a medical license. Her sister, Raquel, was charged with four counts of aiding and abetting her sister in their illegal abortion operation. In addition one of Bugarin’s hired abortionists, Laurence Reich, was also arrested after he was found to be doing abortions months after losing his medical license for sexually molesting his patients.

Bugarin’s abortion chain, Clinica Medica Para La Mujer De Hoy, preys on Hispanic women, and would often pass out abortion discount coupons in Hispanic neighborhoods.

Operation Rescue began working to expose and close these dangerous abortion mills 1999. As a result six of Bugarin’s clinics have closed, at least five of her hired abortionists lost their medical licenses, and three abortionists have received discipline from the California Medical Board.

“The only way to stop someone like Bugarin from hurting people is to put her in jail, because she obviously has no respect for the law or for the lives of the women she seeks to exploit,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “We thank God that Bugarin is being brought to justice. We have worked for years, along with the faithful pro-lifers in San Diego, to close her shop of horrors, and now it looks like those prayers are being answered.”