Julie Burkhart

Julie Burkhart is an American operator of abortion clinics in the Midwestern United States. She first became active in Wichita, Kansas, working for George Tiller and reopening his clinic after his 2009 murder. Burkhart oversaw the opening of an abortion clinic in Oklahoma in 2016. In 2020, she shifted her focus to Wyoming and opened an abortion clinic there in 2022. In 2025 Burkhart was named one of the Time 100 most influential people for her work.

Biography

Julie Burkhart was born in 1965/1967 and grew up in rural Oklahoma. She has cited her experience of protests during the 1991 'Summer of Mercy' in Wichita as influencing her activism for reproductive rights. That summer, Burkhart was working at a women's health clinic in Wichita, Kansas, and saw thousands of anti-abortion protestors throughout the city. She attended school in Seattle and planned to attend, but did not eventually enter, medical school.{{Cite news |last=Zernike |first=Kate |date=2024-03-10 |title=Wyoming Banned Abortion. She Opened an Abortion Clinic Anyway. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/10/us/wyoming-abortion-clinic-julie-burkhart.html |access-date=2025-04-19 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

After graduation, Burkhart began working on political campaigns, and by 2001 was working in Wichita for Planned Parenthood. That year she met George Tiller, an abortion provider based in Wichita known for offering late term abortions. He became a prominent mentor to Burkhart, and she soon began working for his clinic, managing public affairs. After Tiller was murdered in 2009, she took over the clinic, reopening it under the name "Trust Women" in 2013.{{Cite news |last=Murphy |first=Kevin |date=April 4, 2013 |title=Kansas abortion clinic reopens four years after doctor's murder |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-abortion-kansas/kansas-abortion-clinic-reopens-four-years-after-doctors-murder-idUSBRE93305020130404/ |work=Reuters}}{{Cite news |last=Pilkington |first=Ed |date=2019-05-31 |title=Ten years after abortion doctor's murder, one woman carries the fight for reproductive rights |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/30/he-gave-so-much-the-woman-fighting-the-abortion-wars-begun-by-george-tiller |access-date=2025-04-19 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite news |last=Eligon |first=John |date=2013-02-14 |title=Four Years Later, Slain Abortion Doctor’s Aide Steps Into the Void |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/14/us/kansas-abortion-practice-set-to-replace-tiller-clinic.html |access-date=2025-04-19 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} The clinic opened a second location in Oklahoma in 2016.{{Cite news |date=September 18, 2016 |title=Oklahoma’s first new abortion clinic in 40 years opens doors |url=https://www.wane.com/news/oklahomas-first-new-abortion-clinic-in-40-years-opens-doors/ |work=WANE}}{{Cite news |title=A woman is continuing her mentor's work after he was killed by an anti-abortion activist |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/oklahoma-to-open-first-abortion-clinic-in-30-years-following-attempt-to-outlaw-procedure-a7106426.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250121133414/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/oklahoma-to-open-first-abortion-clinic-in-30-years-following-attempt-to-outlaw-procedure-a7106426.html |archive-date=2025-01-21 |access-date=2025-04-19 |work=The Independent |language=en-GB}}

In 2020, Burkhart began working to develop an abortion clinic in Casper, Wyoming. The state had limited abortion clinics, and a local nonprofit had reached out to her asking for help. The clinic she founded, Wellspring Health Access, took several years to develop. In 2022, Wyoming passed legislation that would have largely banned abortions.{{Cite web |last=Ducharme |first=Jamie |date=2022-06-09 |title=New Abortion Clinics Are Opening Near Borders and Airports to Stretch Access as Far as It Will Go |url=https://time.com/6185519/abortion-clinics-travel-state-borders/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=TIME |language=en}} Burkhart responded by suing the state, and the ban was overturned in court. In May 2022, an attempted arson damaged the clinic. Legislation was subsequently passed restricting the ability of abortion clinics to provide abortions. As of April 2025, the clinic does not actively provide abortions but is still open.{{Cite web |last=Alter |first=Charlotte |date=2025-04-16 |title=Julie Burkhart: The 100 Most Influential People of 2025 |url=https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/7273738/julie-burkhart/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=TIME |language=en}} Burkhart also co-owns an abortion clinic in Illinois.{{Cite news |last=Wernau |first=Julie |last2=Maher |first2=Kris |date=2022-07-14 |title=Some Doctors Rethink Careers After States Restrict Abortions |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/some-doctors-rethink-careers-after-states-restrict-abortions-11657791001 |access-date=2025-04-19 |work=Wall Street Journal |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660}}

In 2025 Burkhart was named one of the Time 100 most influential people.

Personal life

Burkhart has one daughter and lives in Wyoming.

Julie Burkhart

Biography

Personal life

References

Further reading