Abortion education plan falls out of favor / LJWorld.com

Kansas Legislature

April 9, 2006

Topeka — The state's largest anti-abortion group has called for removal of a legislative proposal that would require school sex education classes to include detailed information about various abortion procedures and fetal pain.

Kansans for Life said removal of the amendment should make the underlying bill, which would require more information on records of abortions, "non-controversial."

"Because the fetal development abortion education amendment will continue to generate propaganda by its opponents, it needs to come off SB 528 and be evaluated on its own merits so that any concerns can be adequately addressed," Kansans for Life said in a news release.

SB 528 currently is a House-Senate conference committee. The Legislature returns for its wrap-up session April 26.

Abortion rights advocates have said the bill was intended to produce more burdens for doctors and clinics.

Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri has opposed the bill, but declined to comment on the move by Kansans for Life to seek removal of the abortion education amendment.

"Until we can further assess what is going on, we really don't have a comment on it," said Peter Brownlie, president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri.

The amendment that was added in the House said when schools offered pregnancy-related instruction, they had to include descriptions of all methods of abortion, and information about "the probable physical sensations or pain a fetus feels or detects, or may feel or detect, during the various abortion procedures."

The underlying bill would require more detailed reporting when doctors submit records on abortions to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

The measure would require doctors to answer whether late-term abortions were performed for a mental or physical health reason. It also would require reporting the name of the second doctor signing off on a late-term abortion, although that name would be kept confidential from the public.

And the bill would state that if the fetus is born alive then the doctor must provide medical care.

"If the state's abortionists are following Kansas law, they have no reason to fear this bill," said Kathy Ostrowski, legislative director for Kansans for Life.