Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoes bill requiring doctors to provide ‘abortion reversal’ info
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly Wednesday vetoed a bill that would have required providers to tell patients they can reverse the effects of an abortion pill, a claim heavily disputed by medical experts.
The veto from the Democratic governor marked the second time she has vetoed an anti-abortion measure approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature after Kansans last year overwhelmingly rejected a state constitutional amendment that would have allowed legislators to ban abortion. Kelly vetoed a separate abortion bill last week.
“In August, Kansans made clear that they believe personal healthcare decisions should be made between a woman and her doctor, not politicians in Topeka. This bill would interfere with that relationship and, given the uncertain science behind it, could be harmful to Kansans’ health,” Kelly said in a statement.
Kelly’s veto comes amid a closely-watched standoff over the pill’s federal approval.
Earlier this month, a federal judge in Texas issued a decision invalidating a decision by the Food and Drug Administration approval of mifepristone in 2000, a decision which could lead to restrictions in Kansas and other states where the drug is widely used in medication abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court extended a stay on the lower court’s decision through Friday when it is expected to issue an order on the case.
The Kansas legislation, which was pushed by anti-abortion groups, relies upon a case study performed by an anti-abortion doctor in California as its basis for the notice that mifepristone, the first pill in a medication abortion, is reversible. However, the study is highly criticized in the medical field. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says on its website that claims of abortion pill reversal are “are not based on science and do not meet clinical standards.”
More than half all abortions in the U.S. are provided through medication, with 98% of medication abortions using mifepristone in 2020. In Kansas, the drug was used in 70 % of abortions in 2021.
Kelly rejected the same policy in 2019 and lawmakers failed to override her veto by one vote.
“With this veto, Governor Kelly has shown that she does not believe vulnerable women have the right to know all of their options,” House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said Wednesday in a statement, adding that House Republicans “stand united to act” to override the veto when lawmakers return to Topeka next week.
When the House approved the measure earlier this year, supporters were four votes shy of a veto-proof majority and one vote short in the Senate.
The bill lawmakers sent Kelly this year was combined with a separate measure redefining abortion to specifically exclude ectopic pregnancy care, miscarriage care and contraceptives.
It’s a move anti-abortion groups say is meant to prevent misinformation but Democrats in the Legislature warned it was an attempt to lay the groundwork for a new anti-abortion constitutional amendment after Kansans protected abortion rights by an overwhelming margin last year.
“This bill attempts to undermine Kansans’ right to bodily autonomy by willfully forcing blatant misinformation into a healthcare environment,” Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, said in a statement.
Kansas Family Voice, a conservative Christian advocacy group, urged an override of Kelly’s veto and said in a statement that “Clarifying what abortion is will reassure women who may find themselves in a tragic situation, despite the words that may show up on their medical chart.”
This story was updated to clarify that Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a separate abortion bill last week.
This story was originally published April 19, 2023 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoes bill requiring doctors to provide ‘abortion reversal’ info."
