Johnson County judge strikes down Kansas abortion restrictions

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Johnson County, Kansas, judge has issued an order that permanently blocks the state from enforcing certain abortion restrictions. In his opinion issued on Monday, Judge K. Christopher Jayaram – who was recently appointed to the Kansas Supreme Court – said the proposed restrictions violate a woman’s right to bodily autonomy, as guaranteed by the Kansas Constitution’s Bill of Rights: Because a woman’s right to bodily autonomy (including her right to decide whether to terminate or to continue a pregnancy) is fundamental, the Court concludes, given the overwhelming evidence adduced at trial, that the State’s rationale...