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Kansas A.G. Kline expands child rape investigation |
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Wednesday, 19 October 2005 19:00 |
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Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline has kicked up huge controversy and national media attention for his criminal investigation of abortion clinics.
Kansans are expecting a state Supreme Court decision any day now on a
case concerning whether his subpoenas of some clinic files violate
patient privacy and confidentiality rights. But Kline, who makes no
secret of his opposition to abortion, is also conducting what could
become a ground-breaking investigation into child rape ending in
pregnancy. Pro-life activists have long criticized abortion providers
for not reporting abortions done on young teens, even though it is
widely known in the criminal justice and public health worlds that a
very high percentage of teen pregnancies are the result of child rape
or statutory rape.
In July, Kline issued a Temporary Administrative Regulation on "child
rape protection." The order requires abortion providers to collect
fetal tissue (using a collection kit provided by the Kansas Bureau of
Investigation) whenever an abortion is done on a child under the age of
14. The kits -- which can be used to test DNA and identify adult
perpetrators -- are to be sent to the KBI and a copy of the evidence
custody receipt form sent to local law enforcement for investigation.
Among the information abortion providers must collect: identifying
information on the child and the child's parent or legal guardian.
On Tuesday, Kline announced another investigation into birth records of
over 60 babies born to Kansas children under the age of 16, including
30 between the ages of 10 and 13. According to summary information
published by the Attorney General's office, the "average age of the
fathers was seven years older than the mothers." Sixteen cases were
found where the mother was 13 or younger and the age of the father was
listed as "unknown." "Keeping children safe is one of the primary
responsibilities of the Office of the Attorney General," said Kline.
"We... will act aggressively and swiftly to bring those who violate
children to justice."
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