Kansas in the news.

[SubGod22]

This could get interesting as you know there will be legal battles over it. Kansas Set for New Abortion Limits Friday Unless Court Case Favors Challengers

Kansas faces a federal court challenge to new regulations for the state's three abortion providers, but its health department hasn't yet received the approval it needs from a normally obscure state board to enforce the rules as planned.

The Department of Health and Environment's rules could make Kansas the first state in the nation without a clinic doctor's office performing abortions. Providers have filed a federal lawsuit partly because they didn't see the current version of the regulations until last week -- less than two weeks before they were supposed to comply with them. The health department also hasn't taken public comments.

The department expected to get the go-ahead it needed for enforcement when the State Rules and Regulations Board met Thursday at the Statehouse. The action in theory would allow the rules to take effect Friday, but abortion providers hoped a federal judge would intervene and block enforcement of them and the licensing law under which the department is imposing them.

Supporters contend the licensing process and the new regulations will protect patients from substandard care. But legislators enacted the law lacking hard statistics on whether women having abortions face a significantly higher risk of complications and death than patients having surgical procedures in doctor's offices and clinics. Further, abortion rights advocates see the rules are a pretext for ending abortion services.

The law requires the state's three abortion providers to have a special license to terminate pregnancies as of Friday. The health department's regulations tell providers what equipment and drugs they must stock and establish space and temperature requirements for procedure and recovery rooms and set standards for evaluating patients.

The health department is using an expedited process to impose the rules for four months, until it solicits public comments and considers changes. Department officials contend the fast track is necessary because the law requires the licensing process to be in place by July 1.

[SubGod22]

Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Kansas From Enforcing New Abortion Laws

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- A federal judge temporarily blocked Kansas from enforcing new abortion regulations Friday, in a ruling that suggested the state will be challenged to justify its demand that three abortion providers comply with the rules within two weeks of receiving them.

U.S. District Judge Carlos Murguia's injunction will remain in effect until a trial is held in a lawsuit against the state's new licensing process and accompanying health department regulations, which were to have taken effect Friday. The lawsuit involves two providers that wouldn't have been able to continue terminating pregnancies.

The new law requires hospitals, clinics and doctor's offices to obtain an annual license from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to perform more than five non-emergency abortions in a month. The regulations tell abortion providers what drugs and equipment they must stock and, among other things, establish minimum sizes and acceptable temperatures for procedure and recovery rooms.

I have no idea how this will play out, but the State screwed up and walked right into the current situation by rushing it into action.

[SB Shock]

I think there would be a lawsuit whether they gave them 2 weeks or 2 years.

[MoValley John]

Before I comment too much, I will give my personal opinion on the issue. I used to be pro-choice- it was more of a libertarian, the government should stay out of it, opinion than anything else. That opinion has changed to the point that I am now becoming very pro-life. Quite simply, rights and liberties, as they should be granted to us all, are only as far reaching as when anyone's right, breaches another's right. With my opinion on rights, I always believed that the government shouldn't deny a woman the right to control her body. Without any help from PACs or politicians, one day I woke up and realized that the unborn baby should have some say in the matter. As is, the baby has no say in his or her destiny. None. How can we call ourselves civilized and advanced when we don't protect the rights of our people, who through no fault of their own, cannot speak for themselves? The unborn's right to life should trump the right of an adult to simply make a choice out of convenience. That is my opinion, and I didn't even need to express it from a religious point of view!

Okay, onward to the Kansas law. I have not read the law, nor do I know the intent. From what I can read here, at least on the surface, the intent of the law is actually to protect the health of women seeking abortion. Unfortunately, the pro choice movement will see this as an affront to their so called, right to choose.

I have never performed an abortion, and I have never had to deal with the consequences of an abortion. Unfortunately, my wife has. As a lead nurse in the largest trauma center in Omaha, she has seen plenty. The saddest part is the lack of regulations and followup care provide by abortion practitioners. While they are quick to schedule a consult, and even quicker to schedule a procedure, they offer zero in the terms of follow up care or treatment of complications. In any other medical field, this would be unconscionable and cause for loss of your medical license. But since abortion is such a political football, these "doctors" are almost untouchable.

Several times a month, women present themselves in the ER with complications from an abortion. Complications are a bi-product of any procedure and risk is involved. Unfortunately, where doctors have an obligation to treat and manage complications, most abortionists will not. When anyone presents in the ER with complications from any procedure, the standard question is asked, "What were the post-procedure instructions from the physician?" Followed by, "What did he tell you to do when you called him to complain of complications?" The answers are always the same, "He gave no instructions after the procedure." And they answer the second question by stating, "The doctor wouldn't take my call."

In fact, SOP is for the ER to contact the physician for advice on treatment. The biggest challenge is to even get the abortionist to take the call from the hospital. They won't even answer calls from other physicians! While very politically connected, the worst offender of this in Omaha is Dr. Leroy Carhart. It is so bad, the attendings joke about who will be the first doc to ever talk to Carhart firsthand.

With that, Kansas has passed a law requiring minimal care standards, as well as, policies and procedures for licensing abortion practitioners. This is at worst, a hassle and some red tape for abortion providers and at best, assuring women who choose abortion a minimal and safe, standardized quality of care. From my point of view, the lawsuits simply deny women choosing abortion, safe and assured standards. By being so blinded by political objectives, the pro choice movement is risking the health and safety of the very women who's rights they claim to be protecting.

[Snapshot9]

Because the argument for abortion rights includes the term 'fetus' not baby.

[SubGod22]

I think there would be a lawsuit whether they gave them 2 weeks or 2 years.

No doubt, but by rushing things it just looks worse and is easy to put on hold. I believe that the appearance would have been better had they signed it and then had a decent amount of time before it went into effect. At least giving the appearance of trying to allow these places time to become compliant with the new regulations instead of rushing into it before there's any time to fully understand what's required and to make any effort to meet those requirements.

Basically, that's the same issue I have with a lot of what happens in DC. They rush things through. Only difference is that I believe the KS legislature knows what's in this bill, unlike much of what's passed in DC. So I'll give them some credit there. But not giving those it effects time irritates the hell out of me as well. I'm very much pro-life, but we really need to at least follow a proper process.

[SubGod22]

I've known and met some people who when they were younger had an abortion because they weren't ready or whatever. Years later, all the ones I've met, have had some psychological issues still trying to deal with it. It had a much bigger impact on them than they ever believed or were told it would. It's not just a simple proceedure and then you're done with it. Maybe it is for some, but I haven't met any of them.

[SB Shock]

It seems to me that KDHE is the one who pushed it "fast track". I think you have to look and see what their agenda was/is. It might be they chose the fast track to just so it would be challenged. Or it could be they are following orders and were told to fast track it because of politics or incompetence.