Quote the one story clinic, women its health care services, run by dr. george r. tiller, has become the lightning rod for the battle. end quote. in what could be known as the summer of mercy, thousands of members of an anti-abortion group called operation rescue descended on the city of wichita using their bodies to physically block access to abortion clinics offered while screaming threats and prayers at the clinic s workers and prayers at the patients and thousands were arrested and it took a quarter of wichita s entire police force to control the crowd. as the new york times reported at the time, the protesters say the confrontation here is the beginning of the fight that is building as the supreme court moves closer, they say, to overturning roe v. wade. the decision that legalized abortion in 1973. end quote. that was also the summer that our next guest, julie burkehart started working at that very abortion clinic in wichita on a summer break from college. every other abortion c
Wichita had closed because of the continued harassment. but women s health care services did not. dr. george tiller and judy burkehart kept it open for nearly two more decades. despite if all. then on may 31, 2009, the only remaining abortion provider in the entire city of wichita, dr. george tiller, was shot in the head and killed by an anti-abortion extremist. and for about four years after the murder of george tiller, the 400,000 people of wichita had no abortion provider between them. other doctors were understandably scared off by threats and harassments. and the women s health care services clinic shut down. but in 2013, julie burkehart reopened it. because doctors didn t feel comfortable living in wichita give its violent history toward abortion providers, she flew them in. she later opened a second clinic oklahoma city, the first new abortion clinic in the state of oklahoma in more than 40 years.
Given her work over the years, it is no wonder that julie burkehart has become a trusted voice on this show. our producer visited her clinic in wichita. the founder of the group called wellspring health accession and has plans to open another reproductive health care clinic in casper, wyoming, this summer, providing abortion services. wyoming is one of the many states by the way that recently passed what is known as a trigger law. it is a law that would ban abortions in wyoming, automatically, five days after the supreme court overturns roe v. wade. given the news this week, could happen fairly soon. julie burkehart has been on the front lines of the battle for reproductive health in this country for more than 30 years. and that s where she finds herself once again. joining us now, julie burkehart, founder of the wellspring health access the former ceo of the trust women foundation. thank you very much for being with us.
Pregnancy. how does that work for people like you? you would be considered someone who aids and abets an abortion in a place like oklahoma. well, that s correct. and also, it doesn t end there. it has impacts on families, friends, colleagues, it puts people in a situation where they can t be open and honest, and it s incredibly dangerous and harmful to people across this country, in the states where these might stand where people who are trying to access reproductive health care. it s, i was incredibly disappointed but not surprised that the governors did find that. julie burkehart, thank you for your time tonight and thank for the time you have given this important issue for more than three decade, wellspring health access, we appreciate you being here tonight.
Inside his church during sunday services. because of that, dr. tiller s clinic, the only one in that part of the state closed. in the four years since the woman who used to work there raised money to buy the old building. julie burkehart bought it from his widow last year so she could open up a clinic on the same site with the same range of medical services including abortions. since the news got out, she tells the local press she has been stalked, a flyer with her name and address has been distributed in the neighborhood she lives. she had protesters outside her home. not long a pastor put a sign in her yard that read, where is your church? we all remember what happened in that other church to dr. tiller. the memory of violence and the threat of more violence have not faded in wichita. is there a trial under way right now for death threats for the doctor that tried before julie burkhardt to start the practice.