Kansas Houses passes bill requiring women get more information before an abortion

Doctors in Kansas would have to give patients more information at least 24 hours before an abortion under a bill passed by the House on Thursday on an 84-38 vote.

“This bill is about transparency and honest disclosure,” said Rep. Susan Humphries, a Wichita Republican.

The changes included in the bill would mean that patients would need to be briefed on what year a doctor received their medical degree, whether they have malpractice insurance and if they have had any disciplinary action taken against them by the state’s board of healing arts.

Employment information would also be required and patients would need to be told if the doctor is a Kansas resident.

And the bill requires the information to be provided on white paper, in black ink with 12 point Times New Roman font.

Democrats said they think the new bill will be found unconstitutional.

Rep. Dennis “Boog” Highberger, a Lawrence Democrat, said he expects it will cost the state money in court to defend the new bill. He said that money would be better spent on sex education and family planning.

An earlier version of the bill overwhelmingly passed in the House, but a similar bill was never voted on by the full Senate.

Key Republicans from both chambers agreed earlier this month to try to pass the bill again with the specification that the information provided before an abortion must also be put on white paper.

Republicans in the Legislature and Kansans for Life have strongly advocated for the bill.

In testimony earlier this year, Kansans for Life legislative director Kathy Ostrowski said the added information should be available so women could “achieve a truly informed decision.”

Planned Parenthood testified against the bill earlier this year, saying that the bill does nothing to improve the lives of Kansas women and undermines confidence in physicians.

This story was originally published May 25, 2017 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Kansas Houses passes bill requiring women get more information before an abortion."