Kansas state Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, right, R-Leavenworth, confers with Sen. Molly Baumgardner, R-Louisburg, during a debate on a new disclosure requirement for abortion providers, Tuesday, May 30, 2017, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Lawmakers have passed the measure, which includes a requirement that patients receive information about doctors performing abortions printed on white paper in black, 12-point Times New Roman type. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

Topeka ? The Kansas Senate on Tuesday passed and sent to Gov. Sam Brownback a bill that greatly expands the amount of information abortion providers must disclose to their patients and specifies the size and type of font it must be printed in.

The bill amends the Women’s Right to Know Act, which already requires that women undergoing an abortion be given information about the procedure, the possible risks associated with it and the physical characteristics of the fetus.

Under the new bill, that information would have to be printed on white paper, in black 12-point Times New Roman font. In addition, it would also require the disclosure to include the year the physician received a medical degree, the date the physician’s employment began at the facility where the procedure is to be performed and the name of any hospital where the physician has lost clinical privileges.

Sen. Marci Francisco, D-Lawrence, who opposed the measure, noted that legislative bills are printed using only 10-point type.

In addition, abortion providers would have to disclose whether they have been subject to any disciplinary action by the Kansas Board of Healing Arts, whether the doctor has malpractice insurance, whether the doctor has admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the facility where the procedure is being performed and whether the doctor is a Kansas resident.

Sen. Dinah Sykes, R-Lenexa, tried unsuccessfully to have the bill sent back to a conference committee, arguing that all physicians should be required to disclose that information, not just abortion providers. Her motion failed, 16-23.

Sen. Barbara Bollier, R-Mission Hills, who is a retired physician, opposed the bill, saying much of the information mandated in the bill is required for anyone to practice medicine in Kansas. She also noted, though, that there is no requirement for physicians to be Kansas residents in order to practice in Kansas.

Supporters of the bill, however, said that information can be hard for a consumer to find, and requiring abortion providers to disclose it in writing will enable women to make more informed decisions before deciding whether to have an abortion.

The bill passed the Senate, 25-15. Brownback is expected to sign it into law.