Bellevue, NE (LifeNews.com) -- With Nebraska-based late-term abortion practitioner LeRoy Carhart saying he will take the place of George Tiller to do the lions share of the controversial abortions in Kansas, the pro-life group that was a leading Tiller watchdog is putting together a new research project focused on Carhart.
Operation Rescue told LifeNews.com on Thursday that it is asking women who have had abortions at the hand of Carhart to contact it.
"We are conducting a research project and are encouraging women who are ready to share their stories about their abortion experiences with LeRoy Carhart to contact us as soon as possible," OR staffer Cheryl Sullenger told LifeNews.com. "Of course, all communications with us will be held in strictest confidence."
Carhart operates an abortion business known as the Abortion and Contraception Clinic of Nebraska in Bellevue, Nebraska, a suburb of Omaha. But Sullenger says he has done abortions in other states.
"He was employed until its closure at Women's Health Care Services in Wichita, Kansas. He is also licensed to operate in Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. He may have done abortions in Iowa in the past, as well," she said.
"If you had an abortion at by LeRoy Carhart in any of these states over the past five years we would love to speak with you," she told LifeNews.com.
The research could turn up cases of women who were injured by botched abortions Carhart has done and could help expose unscrupulous practices such as how he recently put women's health at risk.
Carhart has had troubles of his own, such as when he re-opened his Bellevue, Nebraska abortion center following an accidental fire. However, it didn't stay open long because repairs on his abortion center hadn't passed a city inspection.
He was accused of putting women's health at risk by reopening without the inspection and broke the law by operating the abortion center without an occupancy permit he needed to do so. Carhart later admitted to the Bellevue Leader newspaper that he operated without a permit for three days.
Meanwhile, local pro-life advocates, who described the exterior of the abortion building as dilapidated and says it is surrounded by rusted-out vehicles and other junk, say Carhart put women at risk a second way.
Carhart relied on a generator for power with an electrical cord running outside from the generator to the abortion facility to provide electricity. Should it have failed, women could have been in medical danger.
"Can you even imagine what would have happened if that generator had run out of gas? This just goes to show how much contempt Carhart has for the law and for women," Operation Rescue president Troy Newman said at the time. "The law is nothing more than words on a paper to him."
Carhart was a Tiller colleague and routinely participated in late-term abortions at Tiller's abortion center in Wichita.
He has never trained his staff to do late-term abortions and told AP that it may be necessary to begin doing them in Kansas. He has also indicated he may do second-trimester abortions at his Nebraska business.
Tiller was allegedly shot by Scott Roeder, a militia activist with no affiliations with any pro-life organizations. Roeder's family has also indicated that he battled with mental illness over the years.
Hundreds of pro-life groups have since issued statements condemning the shooting and saying it doesn't represent the views of the majority of Americans who are pro-life on abortion and seek legal and peaceful means to protect human life.
However, that hasn't stopped pro-abortion groups from attacking the majority of Americans who take a pro-life position on abortion and referring to them as terrorists.
Related web sites:
Operation Rescue - http://www.operationrescue.org
