News Headlines

Kansas AG Pays More Than Half-Million Dollars To Defend Abortion Laws

Reporter: Associated Press

Monday, June 11, 2012

The Kansas attorney general's office paid outside lawyers more than $644,000 to defend anti-abortion laws enacted last year.

The office says it paid more than $328,000 as of Friday to Foulston Siefken, a Wichita firm helping defend a budget provision denying federal dollars for non-abortion services to Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood has filed a federal lawsuit against the measure.

The attorney general's office paid more than $200,000 to Thompson, Ramsdell & Qualseth, of Lawrence, to help defend health and safety regulations for abortion providers. Kansas City-area physicians challenged the rules in federal court and then in state court.

The same law firm also received more than $116,000 for work on a federal lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against a law restricting private insurance coverage for elective abortions.