In Kansas, abortion doctors are asking a state court to stop a new law that would force them to tell the government about their patients’ reasons for getting abortions.
This law was passed by the state’s Republican legislature in April over the veto of its Democratic governor. It is set to go into effect in July. In a motion filed late Monday in Johnson County Civil Court, the providers said it would violate their right to free speech under the U.S. Constitution and their patients’ right to personal autonomy.
As part of their earlier lawsuit against a rule that requires doctors to tell patients that medication abortion can be undone, they are asking the court to let them add this claim. However, there is no evidence to support this claim. In October, they got a preliminary order that stopped that rule.
The Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents the doctors, said in a statement, “The choice to have an abortion is deeply personal; no one should be forced to tell the government why they are making that choice.” “It’s frankly frightening that the state of Kansas is attempting to collect this type of private information, and unclear how it will be used.”
A request for comment was sent to the office of Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, but they did not reply right away.
There is no limit on how many weeks an abortion can last in Kansas. In 2019, the state’s top court said that the state law protects the right to abortion. In August 2022, voters in Kansas turned down a bill that would have taken away rights for abortion from the state constitution.
The vote happened after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the important Roe v. Wade decision, which had made abortion legal across the country. This meant that many states run by Republicans could now ban or limit abortion.