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Two abortion bills were sent to the desk of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on Thursday, backed by pro-life groups and a majority of the Legislature.
One bill, called the Women’s Health Protection Act, sets minimum health and safety standards for abortion clinics and changes the regulating facility for abortion clinics from the Board of Healing Arts to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The second bill requires abortion clinics to take fetal tissue samples from aborted babies by women under the age of 14. The tissue samples would be used for child molestation investigations.
Abortion rights groups criticize the bills for targeting abortion clinics and charge its supporters with seeking tighter regulations in order to close down the clinics. Supporters of the bills argue that the proposed measures will protect women’s health and combat child rape.
The two bills won a two-thirds majority vote in both houses, enough to override a veto should Sebelius refuse to sign the bills.
A supporter of abortion rights, Sebelius vetoed a bill in 2003 similar to the Women’s Health Protection Act. Sebelius is likely to veto this year’s bill, unless the language is changed for a broader application of the new regulations.
“I think having a set of standards that is put together by doctors and applies across the board makes very good sense, and I would love that to reach my desk,” Sebelius said, according to the Associated Press.
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Sebelius has not indicated her position on the bill requiring fetal tissue samples from abortions performed on minors. Her spokeswoman stated that Sebelius will closely examine the legislation.
Groups on both sides are preparing for a likely veto by Sebelius. Pro-life groups expect legislators who voted for the measures to override Sebelius when they begin the new session on April 25. Abortion rights groups are lobbying for support to maintain a veto.
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