TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is telling legislators that defending a new anti-abortion law in court could cost the state up to $450,000.
The new law takes effect in July and bans a procedure used in second trimester abortions that critics describe as dismembering a fetus. Kansas is the first state to enact such a ban.
Abortion providers have said they’re considering lawsuits. Anti-abortion leaders are confident the statute will withstand a challenge.
Schmidt told legislators last week that his office could need $50,000 by the end of June, between $100,000 and $200,000 for the fiscal year beginning July 1 and up to $200,000 for the following fiscal year.
Schmidt’s office already has paid outside attorneys $1.2 million to defend anti-abortion laws since 2011, without losing a case.
