TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Attorneys for a Kansas official argue in federal court filings that critics of a law restricting insurance coverage for abortions haven’t shown that it burdens women seeking to end their pregnancies.
Lawyers for Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger on Friday asked U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson to uphold the 2011 statute without a trial in a lawsuit filed against it by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The law prohibits insurance companies from offering abortion coverage as part of general health plans, except when a woman’s life is at risk. Kansas residents who want coverage for elective abortions must buy supplemental policies.
The ACLU argued in a filing last month that the law makes it more difficult to obtain abortions. Attorneys for Praeger contend there’s no proof of that.
