Questions raised about willingness of incoming DA Howe to enforce the law

Olathe, KS — Phill Kline appeared in court one final time as Johnson County District Attorney yesterday and told Judge Stephen Tatum that he would not take copies or summaries of abortion records on which he based 107 criminal charges against Planned Parenthood when he leaves office on Monday.
Pedro Irigonegaray, an attorney for Planned Parenthood, had subpoenaed Kline to insure that the incriminating evidence against his client would not remain in Kline’s possession.
“Planned Parenthood has used privacy concerns as a ruse to insure that the evidence against them never sees the light of day. They know there are no privacy considerations involved with the records because they have been heavily redacted and contain no patient identifying information,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.
“What they really fear is that once the evidence is out in the open, people will see the truth of charges for themselves, and that will be the end of their charade – and the end of their shady abortion profiteering.”
The case will be inherited by incoming district attorney Steve Howe who has refused to comment on his plans for the case.
But sources who have knowledge of the Howe transition have confirmed to Operation Rescue that Howe fired nearly every person in the DA’s office that had anything to do with the prosecution of Planned Parenthood.
“We know that some pro-lifers have been hoodwinked by Howe, but we have been given absolutely no reason to believe that Howe has the fortitude to pursue this case,” said Newman.
Howe was a long-time employee of former Johnson County District Attorney Paul Morrison and supported Morrison’s campaign in 2006 when he ran for the office of attorney general against Phill Kline. When Kline was appointed to and assumed the office Johnson County District Attorney, Kline fired Howe and 6 others as part of routine transition turnover, but Howe and the others sued Kline. They later dropped the suit.
“Our source was adamant that Howe’s firings of those involved with the Planned Parenthood prosecution was politically motivated and are a harbinger of what is to come,” said Newman. “The the chances that Howe will follow through with the prosecution of Planned Parenthood is about the same chance of a snowball in Hades.”
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for February 19.