Kansas is making its permanent abortion licensing rules public today (THUR) by posting them in the state register. They take effect in mid-November. Unlike temporary rules issued in June, these new ones don’t have strict physical requirements for rooms... but they still, among other things, specify wait-times for patients. Miranda Steele, with the state health department, says the state took suggestions for about three months before issuing the permanent rules.
For the time being, a federal judge has blocked the temporary rules, in response to legal challenges from abortion providers who say they would have had to shut down because of the rules. Lawyers with the providers say the new rules are also restrictive. They have until the end of next month to brief the court on the potential impact of the new regulations.
