Kansas limiting abortions, declares life begins at conception

GlobalPost

Kansas became the latest state to approve drastic anti-abortion measures on Friday, passing a bill that declares life begins at conception.

The bill, which goes to pro-life Gov. Sam Brownback for approval, also bans groups like Planned Parenthood from providing sex-education materials for schools, Reuters reported.

"This fulfills the legislative intent to create a pro-life state," Kansas for Life director Kathy Ostrowski, told Reuters.

The bill passed the state legislature 90-30 on Friday night.

Among its other provisions include preventing abortion providers from accessing public funds or tax breaks.

It also requires doctors to provide material about fetal development and resources to help pregnant women while banning sex-selection abortions.

More from GlobalPost: North Dakota passes controversial abortion bill

Similar laws have been recently passed in North Dakota and Arkansas.

State law-makers stopped at trying to change their constitution, however, the Associated Press said.

Kansas is still abiding by language in the Roe v. Wade case of 1973 that legalized abortion in the US.

Critics suggest the law in Kansas erodes a woman's ability to make her own choices, Bloomberg reported.

“There’s almost a race under way – a race to the bottom – in terms of restricting a woman’s ability to make her own decisions and to try to impose a set of beliefs on all the citizens in these states,” Kansas Planned Parenthood CEO Peter Brownlie told Bloomberg.

One state Democrat, Sen. David Haley, called it a "Taliban-esque" action that allows religious views to form policy, the AP reported.

More from GlobalPost: Abortion now free in France

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