Top Kansas court to rule on protections for abortion rights

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ highest court is preparing to rule on whether the state constitution protects abortion rights.

The state Supreme Court said it would issue a decision Friday in a lawsuit filed by two abortion providers in 2015 against a Kansas law banning a common second-trimester procedure.

A trial-court judge ruled that the state constitution’s Bill of Rights provides protections for abortion rights that are independent of protections under the U.S. Constitution.

If the Kansas Supreme Court agrees, state courts could invalidate abortion restrictions upheld by the federal courts. Such a decision also would likely spur an attempt from abortion opponents to amend the state constitution.

The law’s fate also is at issue. It was the first of its kind in the nation in 2015 but has yet to be enforced.