So What Are Those New Kansas Abortion Clinic Regulations?
by Robin Marty, RH Reality Check
June 26, 2011 - 9:29pm (Print)
The first clinic in Kansas has been told it will not be getting its license renewed, as the information on its application was enough to tell the state health board that the clinic would not have made the modifications necessary based on new regulations passed this year.
So what exactly are some of those new, necessary modifications?
If a woman has an abortion in Kansas, the room temperature will have to comfortable — between 68 and 73 degrees, in fact — under a new state health department rule taking effect in July.The room where the abortion occurs also will have to have at least 150 square feet, excluding "fixed" cabinets, and come with its own janitor's closet with 50 or more square feet. The provider will be required to keep 13 types of drugs on hand, along with blood pressure cuffs for adults, children and even infants and premature babies. Patients will have to remain in a recovery room for at least two hours afterward.
Well, children and infant blood pressure cups. That makes perfect sense in a clinic that provides abortions, doesn't it?
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Sadly, there is the possibility that a patient might be very young and will therefore need a children's sized blood pressure cuff to get an accurate reading. I'm not sure what the size/weight parameters on them are. (An adult woman of very small stature might need one as well.) The infant cuff, though...
And the dedicated janitor's closet? The specificity of recovery times and temperatures in procedures and recovery rooms (which are different, and therefore complicate HVAC arrangements especially in leased spaces) and the like are just absolute excuse-creators. Blatant and transparent.
I live in Kansas - even I couldn't believe the regulations or the amount of time they were given to comply. I'm all for safety regulations that ALL ambulatory clinics, whether they do abortions or do dental work (or something...) but this is so blatantly an attempt to have no abortion in Kansas at all. It's terrifying to many of the pro-choice women I know, because if we were to ever need one, we'd have to travel out of state. But Kansas, right now, is in the midst of this horrible right-wing, religious, conservative climate - it's not just the government, although I think we might get some relief as they keep focusing on the culture wars stuff and not on jobs. I just want people to know though - there ARE Kansas women who are pro-choice and we're trying to change things. It's just so, so difficult.
