Kansas Republicans are drafting lots of fun legislation to keep those
The sweeping anti-abortion bill working its way through the Kansas Legislature would levy a sales tax on women seeking abortions, including rape victims.But that's not the really fun bit. Turns out that physicians would be legally protected if they withhold health information from pregnant women. They would also be required to lie to their patients about the debunked link between breast cancer and abortion:
Buried in the 69-page bill being considered by the House Federal and State Affairs Committee are several provisions, in fact, that opponents say would increase taxes on those who seek abortions. The tax sections do not include any exemptions for women who want an abortion after a sexual assault, to end a dangerous ectopic pregnancy or to remove the remains of a fetus following a miscarriage -- the latter of which is defined as an abortion under Kansas law, according to Sarah Gillooly
Among other provisions in the proposed legislation are measures allowing doctors to withhold from patients medical information that might encourage them to seek an abortion and prohibiting malpractice suits if the woman or the child suffers a health complication as a result of information being withheld. A wrongful death lawsuit could be filed if the mother dies. The bill also would require doctors to tell women that abortion causes breast cancer and would prohibit state employees from performing abortions on the job.If all this is true (I have not checked the original proposal), it looks like the