N.C. Gov. Vetoes abortion bill; 2 Kansas doctors file suit against Kansas law; R.I. exchange bill caught in dispute

The abortion issue continues to rile politics in Indiana, Kansas, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Iowa, Texas and North Carolina.

McClatchy/Raleigh News & Observer: North Carolina Governor Perdue Vetoes Abortion Bill
Gov. Bev Perdue vetoed a bill Monday that would require women seeking abortions to wait 24 hours after state-prescribed counseling, leaving the bill's House supporters looking for override votes. The bill would have made significant changes in state abortion policy, changes supporters said would give pregnant women important information about fetal development and abortion alternatives. Opponents said the requirements would interfere with doctor-patient relationships and demonstrated a distrust of women's judgment (Bonner, 6/28).

Politico Pro: Planned Parenthood Juggles Lawsuits
Planned Parenthood is in the midst of a whirlwind week in court. On Friday, the group received news that a federal judge in Indiana would block a controversial state law that cuts off its funding. The following Monday, the group announced it would file suit against a similar restriction in Kansas. That same day, in South Dakota, Planned Parenthood was also in court, arguing that a 72-hour waiting period was unconstitutional (Kliff, 6/29).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Indiana Appeals Judge's Injunction Letting Planned Parenthood Get Medicaid Funds
Indiana's attorney general on Tuesday appealed a judge's ruling that blocked key aspects of a new state law that cut some public funding for Planned Parenthood because the organization provides abortions (6/28).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: 2 Kansas Doctors Who Perform Abortions File Federal Lawsuit To Block State's New Regulations
Two doctors who perform abortions in Kansas filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday to block a new licensing law and regulations that abortion rights advocates fear will make Kansas the first state in the country without an abortion provider (6/28).

The Kansas City Star: Kansas Says Abortion Clinic Failed Inspections
No Kansas abortion clinic has met the state's new licensing rules, raising the prospect that by Friday, Kansas will be the only state where women cannot get an abortion. On Tuesday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment said the clinics inspected so far hadn't met the new standards approved by the Legislature earlier this year. Kansas has only three abortion clinics, all in the Kansas City area (Cooper, 6/28).

Politico Pro: Abortion A Roadblock For Rhode Island
Rhode Island is considered one of the country's early leaders in efforts to build a health exchange, but the state's online insurance marketplace may not get off the ground anytime soon because of controversy surrounding abortion language in stalled legislation. With just days left before the Rhode Island Legislature adjourns, it's looking less and less likely that state lawmakers will approve an exchange bill almost three months after a provision limiting abortion coverage was added to the Senate bill (Millman, 6/29).

Des Moines Register: Abortion Issue Endangers Budget Accord
A dispute over Medicaid-financed abortions at University of Iowa Hospitals is threatening to derail a $5.99 billion budget deal being crafted by lawmakers facing a Thursday night deadline to provide money to keep state government running. Senate Democrats want to retain abortion rules in place since 1978, which allow Medicaid abortions at University Hospitals in cases of rape, incest, fetal abnormalities, to save a mother's life, and for miscarriages (Petroski, 6/29).

The Dallas Morning News: Low-Income Dallas County Women Could Lose Access To Birth Control Because Of State Funding Cuts Affecting Parkland Hospital
About 30,000 low-income women in Dallas County could lose access to birth control next year when Parkland Memorial Hospital loses more than half its funding for family planning. The hospital's board of directors learned Tuesday that the new state budget will eliminate Title V and Title XX funds — about $5 million — that cover family planning services dispensed at Parkland's eight community clinics. The cuts were part of an attempt by state legislators to stop funding Planned Parenthood, because that agency also provides abortions (Jacobson, 6/28).