On Wednesday in Kansas, Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline — a hardline crusader against reproductive rights — filed 107 baseless charges against Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri (PPKM). The charges were immediately called into question by Kansas Attorney General Paul Morrison, who said through a spokesperson, "We are skeptical that these charges have any merit, and we continue to wonder how much politics influenced Mr. Kline’s decision to file these charges."
Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) President Cecile Richards issued the following statement on Phill Kline's baseless attack:
"For years Phill Kline has been on a political crusade against women's health and Planned Parenthood, and last November he was resoundingly dismissed from his position as state attorney general by Kansas voters. His latest move is a last-gasp attempt at restricting women's access to reproductive health care. These baseless charges are nothing more than his latest unethical attempt to advance a hardline agenda. No public official should be allowed to use their office to warp the law in a bid to advance an ideological agenda aimed at intimidating women and the health care providers they rely on.
"For more than 70 years, Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri has been a trusted source of health care and education to thousands of women and families. Kansas Attorney General Morrison reviewed these allegations and announced in June that after ’an objective, unbiased, and thorough examination of the numerous documents and medical records,’ he roundly dismissed the claims and gave Planned Parenthood a clean bill of health. Planned Parenthood Federation of America fully supports PPKM and we denounce these baseless allegations that are nothing more than an attempt to restrict women's access to reproductive health care."
