Judge temporarily blocks parts of tough new Kansas abortion law

June 28, 2013  •  Leave a Comment
By Jeff Black, Staff Writer, NBC News

A Kansas judge said Friday that two doctors who sued to stop a new state law restricting abortion have not presented a compelling enough case to prevent the law from taking effect on Monday, but she did agree to temporarily block two parts of the statute.


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Shawnee County District Judge Rebecca W. Crotty issued a temporary injunction on a portion of the law that changed the definition of a medical emergency and another that required abortion providers to post a statement on their websites saying the state’s materials on abortion are "scientifically accurate."

The first part required women seeking an abortion to observe a 24-hour waiting period, but Crotty said the provision effectively eliminated "any meaningful exception for medical emergencies." Crotty said the second portion was a potential restriction on free speech.


Kansas’ sweeping anti-abortion law, passed in April, says life begins at fertilization, forbids sex-selection abortions and bans Planned Parenthood from providing sex education in schools.

In addition, the measure requires women to learn about fetal development before having an abortion, including a statement that abortion ends the life of “whole, separate, unique, living human beings.

Planned Parenthood has also filed a narrower federal lawsuit challenging Kansas’ abortion law.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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