Kansas joins other states as lawmakers approve bold new abortion restrictions

Analysis follows Kansas lawmakers' decision to place bold new restrictions on abortion, including defining life as beginning at conception. Gov. Sam Brownback is expected to sign the bill. Also, Alaska lawmakers also pass their own bill further restricting abortion.

The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog: Analyzing The Kansas Abortion Bill
Following in the footsteps of North Dakota and Arkansas, Kansas is poised to adopt new restrictions on abortion access. Arkansas in early March passed a law prohibiting most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy. North Dakota, three weeks later, banned the procedure as early as six weeks into a pregnancy (Gershman, 4/9).

Medpage Today: Kansas Passes More Curbs On Abortion Doctors
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) is expected to sign a bill into law that places new restrictions on abortion providers in the state while also defining life as starting at conception. Kansas House Bill 2253 mandates what opponents call disputed information that doctors and abortion clinics must provide to patients. For example, physicians would have to inform patients about a possible link between breast cancer and abortion, and say that a fetus can feel pain at 20 weeks of gestation -- both of which have been questioned (Pittman, 4/9).

The Associated Press: Alaska Senate Passes Abortion Bill 
The Alaska Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that would define what constitutes a "medically necessary" abortion for purposes of state funding. Supporters of the measure said public money should not be used to pay for "elective" abortions, but critics said the bill puts the state between a woman and her doctor and is unconstitutional (Bohrer, 4/9).