Kansas County Votes to Halt Abortions, but Democrat Governor Says Abortion is “Essential” Despite COVID-19 Spread Risk

By Cheryl Sullenger

Wichita, KS — Sedgwick County commissioners voted 4-1 on Wednesday to approve a recommendation to limit abortions as non-essential procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The vote came after pro-life activists made the commissioners aware that women from several states, including Louisiana – a COVID-19 hot spot – were flocking to the Trust Women Wichita abortion business for elective abortions.

That recommendation will now be passed on to chief county health officer Dr. Garold Minns, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and Gov. Laura Kelly.

Yesterday, in response to questions at a news conference about the Sedgwick County action aimed at halting elective abortions in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, Kelly, pro-abortion Democrat, responded, “Women’s reproductive health is considered an essential need and health care clinics will fall under that category.”

“It is clear that either Kelly has no idea of the infection control disaster that is happening at Trust Women right now, or she doesn’t care one bit who gets harmed by the abortion business’ irresponsible conduct,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue.

In addition to roadblocks posed by liberal politicians with pro-abortion agendas, it is possible that a Kansas Supreme Court decision issued last year, which ruled that abortion is a “fundamental right” under the Kansas Constitution, may hinder implementation of the Sedgwick County recommendation to halt abortions for public safety reasons.

Operation Rescue has reported on the health crisis at Trust Women as women travel from areas where COVID-19 cases have exploded.  Trust Women CEO Julie Burkhart admits publicly that all of her abortionists also travel to Kansas from out of state and some are having difficulties getting licensed to practice. It is believed one abortionist at Trust Women on March 28-29, 2020, worked on a license that expired in 2016.

The Kansas Coalition for Life (KCFL), which maintains a presence outside the Trust Women abortion facility during all business hours, has observed clients entering the facility in vehicles from the following states over the past two weeks: Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, California, and more.

Pro-life activists have documented other violations of safety recommendations made by the Presidential Coronavirus Task Force to slow the spread of the virus, including an absence of social distancing and lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) provided to customers or worn by clinic personnel.   

That includes the clinic’s security guard who checks in each client, runs them through airport-like security, searches their bags, and handles the clinic’s trash.  Clinic workers who ferry women to the abortion facility from off-site locations also have been observed to use no PPE with clients seated next to them in the front passenger seat.

During one disturbing incident on March 29, 2020, which illustrated the dangerous behavior exhibited by Trust Women staff, a few minutes after a visibly sick woman entered the abortion facility, the clinic security guard came out to the sidewalk and presented KCFL chairman Mark Gietzen with a bag containing vomit and other contaminated objects that he said was from the sick woman.  Several other people at the scene witnessed this incident.

“Gov. Kelly’s willingness to exempt abortion facilities from following COVID-19 safety protocols doesn’t just put Kansans at risk. It also affects people in every state where abortion clients originate and all states they must travel through to get to Wichita where they are stopping for gas or food and using public restrooms,” said Newman.  “The potential of someone bringing the virus to Kansas and exposing others who then transport it to other states from the Trust Woman hub is a very real threat to public health.”