The Supply-Side Economics of Abortion

Abstract

Under legislation recently signed by Kansas's governor, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued new licensing standards for abortion clinics. The regulations stipulate, among other requirements, that facilities must have procedure rooms of at least 150 ft²; each procedure room must have janitorial space of at least 50 ft²; facilities must have designated dressing rooms for patients and separate ones for staff; and each dressing room must have a toilet, a washing station, and storage for clothing.¹ Two physicians who provide abortions in their office-based practice filed suit, stating that the requirements were unnecessary to ensure patient safety and would force them to stop providing abortion services. On July 1, 2011, a federal judge issued a temporary injunction allowing all three providers in Kansas to continue operating for the time being.