The state of Kansas granted Planned Parenthood an abortion license, although the Kansas Department of Health and Environment paired several regulations with the license. The department tells abortion providers what drugs and equipment they must have on hand, how big some of their rooms must be, and the specific temperatures allowed in procedure and recovery rooms. These regulations are part of new licensing law that stems from a surge of anti-abortion legislation through Republican-controlled legislatures in many states. The new measures add legal, financial, and psychological aspects that make it even more difficult for women and doctors. For instance, the new regulations require rooms where abortions are performed to have at least 150 square feet of space, excluding fixed cabinets, and to keep their temperatures between 68 and 73 degrees. Each room must also have an adjoining janitor's closet that spans at least 50 square feet (Hanna).
Kansas avoided being the first state in the United States without an abortion provider by granting Planned Parenthood an abortion license. Two other abortion providers haven't obtained licenses yet and, therefore, cannot perform abortion legally until a federal court intervenes. They face hearings in a federal lawsuit (Hanna). .
The attorney general's office opposes Planned Parenthood's new license. They argue that the new regulations are intended to eliminate access to abortion and there is no need to add an additional provider (Hanna). .
Bonnie Scott Jones, an attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, said, "That's certainly better than no one being open, but it's certainly not enough to meet the needs of the women of Kansas" (Hanna). .
Supporters of the new law say it will protect patients. However, others who advocate abortion-rights argue that the law is purposefully burdensome. It doesn't help that Governor Sam Brownback who approved the law is an anti-abortion Republican and abortion opponents helped to facilitate the law through the GOP-controlled Legislature.
