Kansas Sends Bill to Enforce Late-Term Abortion Laws to Governor Parkinson
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 31, 2010
Topeka, KS (LifeNews.com) — The Kansas state House approved a bill that would mandate that the Kansas health department obey the state’s late-term abortion law. The House approved HB 2215 83-36, one vote shy of a veto proof majority and now the bill goes to Governor Parkinson, who may veto it.
The Senate approved the measure hours before the House on a 24-15 margin.
This is the fifth year in a row the legislature has sent a similar bill to the governor’s desk attempting to stop late-term abortions and ensuring any done in the state follow current laws limiting them. Governor Kathleen Sebelius vetoed previous versions.
The current version of the bill also allows women to sue an abortion practitioner if they believe the late-term abortion was done for illegal reasons.
Kathy Ostrowski, the legislative director for Kansans for Life, told LifeNews.com that she is concerned the legislation will be vetoed again.
Talking about the debate in the legislature, she added, "Pro-choice senators registered their annual complaint about "misuse of legislative process’ since this was yet another abortion bill that only made it for a Senate vote via a legal ‘hijacking’ of another bill."
"The supreme irony is that 2,945 viable babies were wrongfully terminated through the ‘misuse of the abortion reporting process’ and these Senators with misplaced sensibilities continue to oppose repairing the late-term abortion reporting process," she added.
In 1998, Kansas passed a law protecting viable unborn children from abortions during the latter stages of pregnancy. The only legal exceptions are for pregnancies that endanger the mother’s life and those that two physicians agree would damage the mother substantially and irreversibly.
Any abortion done as an exception to the law was to have been recorded with a maternal medical reason to the Kansas health department. However, the health department has processed 2,945 viable abortions without any medical justification.
"At an average cost of $5000 each– these fraudulently documented abortions yielded $15 million," Ostrowski said.
During the legislative hearings, Ostrowski noted that KDHE testified they take no responsibility for the illegitimate reasons for the abortions and "would basically ignore any potential Attorney General opinion ordering them to correct the practice."
HB 2115 would force them to write new regulations and would compel the state medical board to follow up.
"Four Kansas abortionists worked for the late George Tiller–and they are the prime, if not sole, source of those illegitimate KDHE abortion reports. Yet the state Healing Arts Board has not penalized them for involvement with fraud. All have retained their Kansas medical licenses, with 3 still profiting as late-term abortionists in Nebraska and New Mexico," Ostrowski said.
Kansans absolutely need HB 2115, if only the Governor has his priorities straight," she concluded.
Related web sites:
Kansans for Life- https://www.kfl.org
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