Kansas Could Become the First State Without an Abortion Clinic

When a state government is run mostly by theists who know how to set aside their silly religious beliefs for the good of society, you get progress… as we saw in New York last night.

When a state government is run by theists who are guided by nothing but their religious beliefs… well, you’re now in Kansas.

That’s where abortion clinics must now undergo a special licensing process in order to stay in business. As of now, there are only three clinics left. One of them is about to close and the others could follow:

A lawyer for the Aid for Women clinic in Kansas City, Kan., said Friday that it received a notice that its application for a license had been denied by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment without an inspection. Attorney Cheryl Pilate said the clinic was looking at its legal options but would have to close, at least temporarily.

The clinic received its notice on the same day the leader of a regional Planned Parenthood chapter said inspectors who spent two days at its Overland Park clinic found it will comply with all new regulations. An inspection of the third provider is scheduled for Wednesday. All three are in the Kansas City area.

“We’re doomed,” said Dr. Herbert Hodes, who performs abortions for the third provider, the Women’s Health Center, also in Overland Park.

Remember: This is the same state in which Dr. George Tiller was assassinated in 2009 for providing late-term abortions.

The new list of requirements to run an abortion clinic is incredibly long and full of items unnecessary to ensure a patient’s safety. The latest version was given to providers just this past week — and they have until July 1^st to comply. Take a look at just a handful of the requirements every clinic must have (PDF) in order to remain open. Some make sense; others are absurd:

• [Each applicant must provide] documentation that the facility is located within 30 miles of an accredited hospital.
• [Each applicant must] identify and ensure a physician with admitting privileges at an accredited hospital located within 30 miles of the facility is available during facility hours of operation.
• Any physician performing or inducing abortion procedures in the facility [must have] clinical privileges at a hospital located within 30 miles of the facility.
• [Each facility must include] separate facilities for pre-procedure handwashing by staff members.
• [Each facility must include] private procedure rooms consisting of at least 150 square feet, excluding fixed cabinet areas.
• [Each facility must include] a recovery area consisting of at least 80 square feet per patient in the area.
• [Each facility must include] a storage area designated for janitorial supplies and equipment consisting of at least 50 square feet per procedure room

It’s almost as if someone from the government visited each clinic, noted what they had, and then wrote the regulations to make it all-but-impossible to adhere to them in such a short time.

“These requirements range from the impossible to the absurd,” said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights. “They’re not designed to protect patient safety; they’re designed to shut down abortion providers.”

…

M. Jeffrey Pederson, of Aid for Women in Kansas City, said there was no way he could meet the new standards. He said that his building was too small to meet the space standards and that he did not have visiting privileges with a nearby hospital — requirements he deemed unnecessary to run a safe clinic.

This is a state where Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the Governorship.

And it’s about to be a state where women are thisclose to not having access to safe, legal abortions. It’s scary to know how quickly their options are being depleted.

(Thanks to Tom for the link)