Kansas Pro-Life Group Presses for Abortion ID Bill for Teenagers 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 16, 2006
Topeka, KS (LifeNews.com) — A Kansas pro-life group told legislators on Wednesday that they should support a bill that would require teens considering an abortion and an adult who accompanies them to show identification to the abortion facility.
The goal of the measure is to help reduce the number of abortions on teens and to make sure that other adults aren’t taking them for secret abortions or covering up potential sexual abuse.
Kathy Ostrowski, legislative director of Kansans for Life, told the House Federal and State Affairs Committee that, without the bill, sexual predators may be able to force or pressure teens into having abortions.
According to the Topeka Capital-Journal newspaper, she said the bill would also help by allowing the collection of statistics on how often judges are allowing judicial waivers of the state’s parental notification requirement.
"The state has an interest in promoting the health and safety of young girls experiencing an unplanned pregnancy" she said
But the newspaper reported Rev. Thom Belote, minister at a Johnson County church, called the bill "politically motivated" and claimed it would increase illegal abortions.
In addition to providing identification, the adult would disclose the relationship to the teenager and identify the possible father.
In February, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the state attorney general can obtain records from two abortion businesses he needs to prosecute possible cases of statutory rape. The abortion centers didn’t want to aide in the investigation and tried to prohibit Attorney General Phill Kline’s request.
The court ruled that the records can only be obtained along with tight restrictions on the privacy of the girls involved. It also wants the lower court to determine if it still believes the records should be granted.
Kline is investigating the possible statutory rapes and the refusal of the abortion facilities to report cases when an underage girl engages in sexual relations outside state law.
He is also looking into the potential that illegal late-term abortions have been performed at the late-term abortion facility operated by infamous abortion practitioner George Tiller in Wichita. Tiller escaped prosecution in the abortion death of a mentally disabled teenager last year.
Related web sites:
Kansans for Life – https://www.kfl.org
