Events in abortion debate in Tiller's home state

Key events in Kansas' debate over abortion:

_ Jan. 22, 1973: The U.S. Supreme Court legalizes abortion in Roe v. Wade.

_ June 9, 1986: A pipe bomb rips through Dr. George Tiller's Wichita abortion clinic, causing $100,000 in damage. No one is injured.

_ July 15, 1991: The anti-abortion group Operation Rescue begins its 45-day "Summer of Mercy" protests at Tiller's clinic. It resulted in more than 2,700 arrests.

_ July 1, 1992: A new Kansas abortion law takes effect, protecting a woman's right to obtain an abortion before the fetus is viable. It contains a waiting period and a parental notification requirement. Abortion opponents begin an annual push for greater restrictions.

_ Aug. 19, 1993: Tiller is shot in the arms as he drives out of the parking lot of his clinic. Rachelle "Shelley" Shannon is later convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison.

_ July 1, 1998: A new Kansas law restricting some but not all late-term abortions.

_ July 30, 2002: Tiller forms ProKanDo, an abortion rights political action committee.

_ Nov. 5, 2002: Phill Kline, an anti-abortion Republican, narrowly prevails in the attorney general's race. He begins investigating abortion clinics after taking office.

_ April 21, 2003: Early in her first term, Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius vetoes a bill setting minimum health and safety standards for abortion clinics, the first of numerous vetoes of anti-abortion legislation.

_ Sept. 21, 2004: A Shawnee County judge subpoenas the records of patients from Tiller's clinic and a second clinic as part of a court-supervised investigation by Kline. A legal battle follows, but Kline gains access to information in the records in October 2006.

_ Nov. 7, 2006: Paul Morrison, an abortion rights Democrat, defeats Kline in the attorney general's race.

_ Dec. 22, 2006: Kline, still attorney general, files 30 misdemeanor charges against Tiller, alleging the doctor performed illegal late-term abortions and failed to properly report details to state health officials. A judge dismisses the case the next day on jurisdictional grounds.

_ Jan. 8, 2007: Morrison takes office as attorney general. Kline becomes Johnson County district attorney.

_ April 9, 2007: Sebelius welcomes Tiller and his staff to the governor's official residence. The reception does not become public until May 2008, when Operation Rescue posts pictures on its Web site.

_ June 28, 2007: Morrison files 19 misdemeanor charges against Tiller, alleging he didn't meet a requirement of the 1998 law that he get a second opinion from an independent physician for some late-term abortions.

_ Oct. 17, 2007: In Johnson County, Kline files 107 criminal charges against a Planned Parenthood clinic. He alleges it falsified documents and performed illegal abortions; he's voted out of office in 2008, but the case is pending.

_ Jan. 31, 2008: Morrison steps down as attorney general, having acknowledged an extramarital affair. He is replaced by a Sebelius appointee, Steve Six, who continues Morrison's case against Tiller.

_ March 27, 2009: Tiller acquitted on all charges. But moments later, state licensing board says it is investigating similar allegations.

_ April 23, 2009: Sebelius vetoes a bill sought by anti-abortion groups to rewrite the state's restrictions on late-term abortions.

_ April 28, 2009: U.S. Senate confirms Sebelius as secretary of health and human services, despite some Republicans' questions about her ties to Tiller. She resigns as governor.

_ May 31, 2009: Tiller is shot and killed at his church, where he was serving as an usher for its Sunday service. An activist abortion opponent, Scott Roeder, 51, is arrested and later is charged with first-degree murder.