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More delays in revoking Kansas abortionist’s license

Jun 11, 2014

 

By Kathy Ostrowski, Legislative Director, Kansans for Life

Abortionist Kris Neuhaus

Abortionist Kris Neuhaus

In a technical legal dodge, the Kansas Court of Appeals ruled Friday that it is too early to review an appeal by the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts in the matter of abortionist Kris Neuhaus.

The Board revoked Neuhaus medical license in July 2012. She appealed and on March 7, 2014, Shawnee District Court Judge Franklin Theis blocked the revocation.

While Judge Theis upheld the conclusion that Neuhaus’ record-keeping was inadequate, he overturned the assessment of administrative law judge Edward Gashler that Neuhaus had “seriously jeopardized” patients’ care with inadequate mental health exams.

The Board appealed, pleading that “special circumstances” existed. But last Friday Thomas Malone, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, concluded that the district court is not finished with the matter and that the Board must revisit their sanctions of Neuhaus, as ordered by Judge Theis.

On Tuesday the Associated Press reported the Board will review the Neuhaus matter in summer or fall, according to Kathleen Selzler Lippert, the Board’s Executive Director. The Board meets this coming Friday with a pre-arranged agenda. Its next meetings are in August and October.

HISTORY

Neuhaus’ had her medical license yanked for repeatedly breaking the state rules on medical record-keeping and patient exams.

In 2003 Kansas law allowed an abortion of a viable fetus only if the woman faces “substantial and irreversible” harm to “a major bodily function” or death. In 2003 that also included mental health.

For these post-viability abortions the law required an independent, second medical opinion. From 1999 to 2006.Neuhaus provided those second opinions for the late abortionist, George Tiller.

At issue were these required “validations” for third-trimester abortions for eleven young teens that took place in 2003.

All these young women were in their sixth or seventh month of pregnancy when they met with Neuhaus at Tiller’s abortion clinic. Neuhaus was never trained as a psychiatric consultant, and ended up utilizing an online ‘answer tree.’

Evidence from the patient files repeatedly indicated such diagnoses. were logged in and completed within 2 to 3 minutes. Thus the teens were able to secure these abortions at a cost of $6,000 or more.

In 2011, Gashler found Neuhaus negligent in conducting mental health exams for these girls who aborted between July and November 2003. Gashler ruled there was no evidence “of any examination nor…of what transpired between the patient and licensee [Neuhaus].”

Categories: Abortionist