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April 11, 2025 |  By: Associated Press

New Kansas law and Florida bill on abortion

A new Kansas law and a Florida bill outline policies backed by abortion opponents that critics see as moves toward giving embryos and fetuses the same rights as the women carrying them.

The Kansas Legislature’s Republican supermajorities last week overrode Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of a bill to require that child support payments cover embryos and fetuses and to grant an income tax break for a pregnancy or stillbirth. In Florida, lawmakers are advancing a bill that would permit parents to seek civil damages for the wrongful death of an embryo or fetus.

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, anti-abortion activists across the country are pushing measures to enshrine the rights of fetuses, with the ultimate goal of ending abortion nationwide. Lawmakers pitching the proposals describe them as support for new parents or vulnerable families.
Pregnancy Justice, which advocates for pregnant people, found that as of last year, at least 17 states had laws on the books giving fetuses the rights of people in criminal or civil law. Also, in most states, including Florida and Kansas, a person can face criminal charges for causing the death of a fetus, other than through an abortion.