Federal Judge Refuses To Block New Kansas Abortion Rules

A federal judge in Kansas has refused to temporarily block a new state law requiring that abortion provider websites link to a state site with information the providers dispute.

But U.S. District Court Judge Kathryn Vratil’s ruling Sunday came after a state judge ruled Friday that Kansas couldn’t enforce the same website requirement for now. The rule was to take effect Monday.

Vratil’s decision came in a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood, which performs abortions at its Overland Park clinic. The other ruling came from Shawnee County District Judge Rebecca Crotty in a separate lawsuit from two other doctors.

In her decision, Vratil raised questions about whether the website rule is constitutional. But Vratil said with Crotty’s ruling Friday, Planned Parenthood won’t suffer "irreparable harm" without a federal court order.