UPDATE: Friday, May 4, 2012

The Kansas House has given first-round approval to a bill designed to keep the state from subsidizing abortions even indirectly through tax breaks.

Friday's vote advances the measure to final action, expected Monday. The House has a strong anti-abortion majority, so the measure is likely to pass and go to the Senate.

The bill would prohibit Kansas taxpayers from including abortion expenses among personal deductions for medical care. Other provisions would block tax breaks for abortion providers.

The measure would also declare abortions illegal if they're performed only because a woman doesn't like the gender of the fetus.

Friday, May 4, 2012

The Kansas House plans to debate a bill aimed at preventing the state from subsidizing abortions even indirectly through tax breaks.

The measure on Friday's agenda would prevent individual income tax filers from including abortion expenses when claiming a deduction for medical costs

It would also declare that abortions are illegal if they're performed only because a woman doesn't like the gender of the fetus. And, it bar public school courses in human sexuality from using materials from groups providing abortions.

House Speaker Mike O'Neal, a Hutchinson Republican, said a few weeks ago that he didn't intend to have an abortion debate because lawmakers were busy with other issues. But O'Neal relented Thursday, saying other lawmakers were interested in the legislation.