NATION IN BRIEF : KANSAS : Abortionist Vows to Keep Clinic Open

A doctor besieged for nearly three weeks by protesters said he is more committed than ever to keeping his Wichita, Kan., abortion clinic open. Dr. George Tiller, 49, has been the target of Operation Rescue protests since July 15. About 1,516 arrests later, protesters continue to block the parking lot of his clinic nearly every day. “If I’m OK on the inside, what people say on the outside does not make much difference,” he said. Protesters have focused on Tiller because he performs late-term abortions and accepts referrals from across the nation. Tiller performs elective abortions until the end of the second trimester. He will perform third-trimester abortions if tests show the fetus is badly deformed or missing vital organs. He performed his first abortions in 1974, one year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade decision legalized abortion.