WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Kansas is contesting a move by Dodge City Family Planning Clinic to join a challenge by Planned Parenthood to a new state law that stripped federal family planning money from both groups.
The state argued in a filing Monday that the two entities have different interests. Kansas contends that the lawsuit by Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri seeks to protect its interest to provide abortion, advocate for abortion and associate with abortion providers on First Amendment grounds.
But the Dodge City clinic contends the law violates the Supremacy Claus of the Constitution because it imposes additional requirements to qualify for federal programs. That too is an argument made by Planned Parenthood.
Kansas says the Dodge City clinic waited too long to intervene and could file its own lawsuit.