Topeka ? The first fight about abortion this year may be about birth control.

Anti-abortion and abortion-rights advocates are preparing to rally and lobby lawmakers today as part of the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe vs. Wade, which legalized abortion throughout the United States.

Abortion-rights supporters planned a news conference where state Rep. Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, would place in the 2003 legislative hopper a bill requiring health insurance companies to provide plans that cover the cost of prescription contraceptives.

Davis said abortion rates nationwide were at their lowest level since 1974 because of increased contraceptive use.

“If we can make contraceptives more available, we can lower the number of unwanted pregnancies,” Davis said.

Groups such as Planned Parenthood were calling the proposal “pro-choice” legislation.

Some anti-abortion groups have opposed requiring insurance coverage for contraceptives. In previous years, groups such as the Kansas chapter of Concerned Women for America have stated that they oppose the requirement because it would force those opposed to some forms of birth control to finance others’ prescriptions. A spokesperson for Concerned Women for America could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Mary Kay Culp, acting director of the anti-abortion group Kansans for LIfe, says her group takes no position on contraception, but she says similar legislation has failed in Congress and studies show that many women who get abortions are already using contraceptives.

“If I was a legislator, I would want to find out whether it’s productive or counterproductive,” Culp said.

Three years ago, then-state insurance commissioner Kathleen Sebelius pushed for a bill similar to Davis’ bill. She said it was a question of fairness and would save money in the long run. She also said unplanned pregnancies were frequently unhealthy pregnancies that end up costing more in medical care and social services.

The bill did not go anywhere as key lawmakers and insurance interests lined up against it. They argued that new mandates on insurers would increase the cost of premiums, which would make health insurance too expensive for some to afford.

No active role

Now that Sebelius is governor, however, she will take no active role in the debate on the contraceptive measure, her spokeswoman Nicole Corcoran-Basso said. She said Sebelius “maintains her support of contraception coverage that she advocated for while insurance commissioner.”

Sebelius constructed a strong pro-abortion rights record as a legislator but tried to steer clear of abortion and related issues during her recent campaign for governor.

Recently, a nationwide study on the status of women gave Kansas a D+ in the area of reproductive rights, partly because of the lack of a law requiring insurance coverage for contraception. Also in Kansas, two female employees of AT&T Corp. have filed a federal lawsuit against the telecommunications giant. They allege its insurance plans were discriminatory because they covered sex-related prescription drugs for men but not prescription contraceptives for women.

Other measures

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Rep. Frank Miller, R-Independence, has authored a bill that would essentially prohibit many late-term abortions now allowed. But Rep. William Mason, R-El Dorado, chairman of the House committee that deals with abortion-related legislation, said he had no plans to have a public hearing on the bill.

Mason said he wanted to speak with Atty. Gen. Phill Kline to see what Kline’s intentions were in enforcing Kansas’ current restrictions on late-term abortions.

Kansas law has been interpreted in the past as allowing late-term abortions if the mother’s mental health would be adversely affected by giving birth. Kline has said that the law didn’t include a mental health exemption. Kline was scheduled to speak today at the anti-abortion rally on the south steps of the Capitol.