Wichita, KS – An article that was supposed to be a “puff piece” on abortionist Mila Means, who is aiming to open an abortion clinic in Wichita sometime in the nebulous future, has revealed shocking information about her checkered history and attitudes disrespecting authority and the law.
In a front page spread published June 23, 2011, in the Wichita Eagle, a paper known for its radical editorial support of unrestricted abortion, Means bares all about her bizarre relationships that earned her discipline with the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts, her history of financial mismanagement, and her disrespect for authority and the law.
Means is currently still in training at the seedy Aid For Women abortion mill in a run-down area of Kansas City, Kansas. However, a new state law mandating minimum safety standards for abortion clinics will likely close that clinic by July 1. Means indicated that she may seek licensure in another state to complete her abortion training.
Even though a bankrupt medical practice has left Means at least $100,000 in debt, she says she plans to open a non-profit to raise money to buy an office for her abortion practice in “12 to 18 months.” Her earlier prediction of opening an abortion clinic in Wichita in April failed to materialize.
“I’m not good at making business decisions for financial reasons,” Means told the Wichita Eagle.
Operation Rescue worked with potential landlords to block her from relocating. Her current landlord sued her to prevent her from doing abortions, saying Means would cause a disruption that would drive off other tenants and ruin his business.
“The truth is that no one in Wichita wants to be neighbors to an abortion business, whether they are for abortion or not. It’s bad for business. The average person really doesn’t want it here and is glad Wichita is abortion-free,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “Only a small handful of radicals think it is a good idea to bring abortion back to this community.”
Newman wonders about the legality of using funds raised through a non-profit group to open a “for profit” business that would financially benefit Means.
“It looks like Means is trying to used a non-profit corporation as a tax dodge,” said Newman. “She may be trying to avoid having to pay taxes on money raised for her new business endeavor. Her financial turmoil and history of a failed practice likely precludes her from obtaining business capital through the traditional, legal means. With her admitted history of financial mismanagement coupled with her dubious scheme to raise money, donors seriously risk throwing their money away by giving to her.”
Means also has a problem with authority, according to her interview. She has refused to meet quotas imposed on her by employers and denounces what she calls “cookie-cutter protocol.” This raises questions about her ability to comply with new state safety laws that she says angers her and contain “many redundancies that are not important”. The new law “probably reinforced my decision to keep working in this direction,” she said.
“If she is angry with the new laws and thinks they contain requirements that are ‘unimportant’, does anyone really believe she plans to adhere to them? It is pretty clear that she does not. That makes her a danger to the public,” said Newman. “She is willing to gamble with women’s lives based on her own poor judgment. That is a frightening prospect for women.”
Speaking of poor judgment, Means’ questionable personal life choices have spilled over into her professional career decisions. Means is married to a gay man and former patient with whom she says she does not live. This is her second marriage. She told the Wichita Eagle that she married him for financial reasons, and she continues to provide him with health insurance since he is bi-polar and apparently unemployable. After the marriage, she continued treating him and members of his family, with whom she lived, which is a breech of medical ethics. She was disciplined by the medical board for not properly terminating the doctor-patient relationship and for other sex-related issues that have been redacted from her public disciplinary documents. Means did not agree with the discipline and believes she was the victim of a family vendetta, since a member of her husband’s family reported her to the authorities.
She remains married but her husband now lives with his gay lover, and she cohabitates with her boyfriend. In addition, Means continues to pay alimony to her first husband, a bar bouncer who is married to her best friend’s husband, since that marriage failed, creating a further financial strain on her.
When taken in total, Mean’s checkered background and history of bucking authority and the law raises deep concerns about her moral center and ability to conduct herself in keeping with legal and ethical standards.
“Means is certainly not an example of the brightest and the best. She is a troubled woman who has resorted to abortion as the last resort to save a failed medical career,” said Newman. “If she starts doing abortions in Wichita, we will see patient deaths. I have no doubt of that. This woman is a walking public health hazard.”
Newman told the Wichita Eagle that he thinks it is not likely that Means will succeed with her plans to bring abortion back to Wichita.
“We’re going to do everything legally and morally within our power to keep her from opening an abortion clinic in our city,” said Newman. “And she cannot underestimate our resolve.”
Read the full article in the Wichita Eagle