Group says it has Kansas clinic abortion records; Iowa preps for abortion battle in budget

An anti-abortion group says it has patient records of dozens of women and girls who sought treatment at a Kansas abortion clinic last month. In the meantime, Iowa lawmakers prepare to tackle the state's health spending, including whether victims of rape or incest may get abortions through its Medicaid program.

The Associated Press: Anti-abortion Group Says It Has Patient Records
An anti-abortion group says it has the patient records of dozens of women and girls who sought treatment at a Kansas City, Kan., abortion clinic last month -- a claim the clinic's attorney says is meant to scare off potential patients and would suggest a crime was committed. Troy Newman, the president of Wichita-based Operation Rescue, said a confidential informant delivered boxes to the group about two weeks ago that contained the records of 86 female patients who sought treatment at Central Family Medicine, also known as Aid for Women (Draper, 5/3). 

Des Moines Register: Lawmakers: Education Spending Settled, But Much Work Remains On Iowa State Budget
But even as spending levels shift slowly into focus, [Rep. David] Heaton said lawmakers haven't even begun to talk about the policy changes regarding abortion contained in the budget. The House version of the health and human services spending package removes language in current law that allows women who are the victims of rape or incest to obtain an abortion through Medicaid and adds wording elsewhere that could reduce state funding for Planned Parenthood. Senate Democrats oppose the changes (Noble, 5/3).