Editor,
On March 11, an article appeared in which Students for Life expressed support for subpoenas of the names of faculty, students, and staff at UNMHSC and Southwestern Women’s Options who are involved in fetal tissue research. In opposing abortion, this pro-life organization has mistaken privacy and safety for secrecy. Abortion opponents want such names in order to shame people, if not harm them. Patients are another group at risk.
I’m an alum (Ph.D., American Studies, 1983) who has done research on abortion since 2009, when Dr. George Tiller was murdered in Wichita by an anti-abortion activist. I wrote a paper about his 6-year prosecution by the State of Kansas, which found no wrongdoing in 35 years of practice. Former Kansas attorney general Phill Kline lost his law license for misconduct and unethical practices in Dr. Tiller’s prosecution. Kline now teaches at Liberty University.
UNMHSC and SWO have declined to furnish the information requested in order to protect the privacy and safety of the people involved. First, there is no guarantee such records will be handled properly. Phill Kline subpoenaed Planned Parenthood patient abortion records, appeared on Bill O’Reilly’s TV program just prior to his reelection bid, and may have shown the records to O’Reilly, who claimed on TV to have seen them. On TV, O’Reilly referred repeatedly to Dr. Tiller as “Tiller the Baby Killer.” That Kline did not store these records safely was one cause of disciplinary action by the Kansas Board for Discipline of Attorneys.
Second, disclosing names may result in harm, since violence is prevalent in the anti-abortion movement, including murder, bombing, arson, physical assault, harassment, and vandalism (http://prochoice.org/education-and-advocacy/violence/violence-statistics-and-history/).
The congressional committee investigation should be disbanded as intrusive, unnecessary, and potentially dangerous to employees, students, and patients at UNMHSC and SWO.
Sincerely,
Dianne R. Layden
UNM Alum
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