.....Meanwhile, AG Morrison unhappy that McHugh interview will be heard by Committee

Contact: Troy Newman, President, Cheryl Sullenger, Senior Policy Advisor, both with Operation Rescue, info@operationrescue.org

Christian Newswire, Aug. 30

WICHITA, Kans. - Attorneys for abortionist George R. Tiller are demanding special treatment for their client as he faces 19 criminal misdemeanor counts of violating the Kansas ban on post-viability abortions. Tiller wants a jury of 12 to hear his case, but Kansas state law only allows for a jury of six on misdemeanor cases.

"Anyone else facing similar charges in Kansas would get a jury of six. Tiller is trying to increase his chances of weaseling out of these charges by asking for a jury of twelve. It is just another example of how Tiller acts as if the laws don't apply to him in the same way they do to everyone else. He has gotten so much special treatment that he now demands it," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.

In other developments, Attorney General Paul Morrison, an abortion supporter who reluctantly charged Tiller with the 19 counts in June, is saying he is opposed to the interim legislative committee hearing the 44-minute recorded interview with Dr. Paul McHugh that discusses his professional opinion that Tiller misused psychiatry to illegally justify late-term abortions for trivial reasons. The recording is scheduled to be played tomorrow as the 3-day hearings begin.

While McHugh is still technically listed as a witness in Morrison's case against Tiller, he is not expected to testify because his statements reference violations of part of the late-term abortion law that Morrison did not include in his case against Tiller.

"Dr. McHugh's full interview has been in the public domain for months now. Morrison's objections to playing the interview make him look like he is trying to hide the truth from the public," said Newman. "This does nothing but raise even more questions about his willingness to properly prosecute Tiller under the law."

"Let the truth come out," said Newman. "The people have a right to know the full extent of what is known about Tiller's illegal activities. Covering up that information only works to destroy the public's confidence in the system's ability to administer justice."

Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation. Operation Rescue recently made headlines when it bought and closed an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas and has become the voice of the pro-life activist movement in America. Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to restore legal personhood to the pre-born and stop abortion in obedience to biblical mandates.