The Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature on Tuesday passed a bill that would require abortion providers to ask patients about the reason for the procedure and report that information to the state, a bill that would require abortion providers to ask patients about the reason for the procedure and report that information to the state. Critics say it creates unnecessary hurdles.
state senate passed the bill The bill passed on a party-line vote of 27-13 on Tuesday, after the Kansas House voted to advance the bill earlier this month. Gov. Laura Kelly (D), an abortion rights supporter, is expected to veto the bill, but she appears to have enough support to override her veto. is.
The law comes after Kansas passed a constitutional right to access abortion in a landslide victory for abortion rights activists in 2022, despite opposition from the Republican-controlled state Legislature.
The Kansas vote was the first in the nation following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that summer, which sparked a wave of votes for abortion rights in the wake of the erosion of federal protections.
The new bill would require health care providers to ask patients a series of 11 questions about their reasons for obtaining an abortion, including not being able to afford a child, career implications, family circumstances, and other reasons. ing. Patients do not need to respond and their responses will be reported to the state.
Republican lawmakers said the effort does not violate the spirit of the 2022 ballot, but simply gives lawmakers better data to make decisions about abortion care.
Providers will also record patients’ age, race, marital status, education, and other demographic data using a “confidential code” to maintain anonymity.
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