Life Links 7/22/11

Testimony is over in the ethics case against Phill Kline.

During a break in testimony, Kline said actions by Hensel and the grand jury's attorneys "killed" the panel's investigation of the clinic. He and anti-abortion groups have made much of an agreement with Planned Parenthood's attorneys to obtain records — drafted but ultimately not followed — that would have limited how the documents could be used, even by the district attorney.

"This procedure was not an investigation," Kline said of the grand jury's work. "I've never seen anything like it in my life."

From everything I've read it seems clear that lead juror Stephanie Hensel shouldn't have been on the jury and had an axe to grind with Kline. It makes no sense for an impartial juror to attempt to make a deal with the organization she supposed to be investigating.


The Indian abortion clinic has been shut down after a Bhutanese woman died from complications after receiving an abortion there.

Records with the Phuentsholing hospital show that it handles on an average two post-abortion complication cases a week.

From January to June this year, the hospital recorded 44 such cases and two deaths resulting from unsafe abortions done in Jaigaon.

The hospital’s gynaecologist, Dr Devendra, said some post abortion cases he handled were so complicated, it required the surgeon’s assistance.

Only 15 of the 44 patients of post abortion cases that came to the hospital said they had aborted, while the rest said complications had arisen because of medicines that had consumed.

A district court judge has issued a temporary restraining order on legislation in North Dakota which would prevent the off-label use of the RU-486 abortion drug.