Topeka, Kansas — The Kansas Senate voted 24-15 yesterday to pass a bill that would force two annual inspections of abortion clinics, ban telemed “webcam” abortions, and give the Department of Health and Environment authority to fine and close abortion clinics that do not comply with the new law. It will also require abortionists to maintain hospital privileges within 30 miles of their clinic.

The bill earlier passed the House and now heads to the desk of Gov. Sam Brownback, who has promised to sign it.

“This new law, for the first time, will allow authorities to exercise true oversight of abortion businesses that have never been ins

Sam Brownback, U.S. Senator from Kansas.

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pected or accountable to anyone until now,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “These common sense standards will also save lives and protect women by preventing the expansion of dangerous web cam abortions into this state. We applaud the Kansas Legislature, especially efforts by Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook, for ensuring that abortion clinics comply with the law or close. We expect that some will close rather than clean up, which says a lot about the abortion cartel’s general lack of concern for the health and safety of women.”

Four other times, similar clinic regulation bills passed with comfortable majorities in both the House and the Senate, only to be vetoed by former Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a rabid promoter of unrestricted abortion who now serves as Secretary of Health and Human Services. The last state-wide elections swept away the last administration that created a political climate that covered up for abortion abuses.

Operation Rescue worked in support of the new clinic regulations.

“This is a victory that was years in the making. We thank our supporters for calling and writing Senators in Kansas in support of this new law that will save the lives of babies and provide protections to vulnerable women who are preyed upon by unscrupulous abortionists that cut corners on safety in the interest of increasing profit,” said Newman.

Kansas has a history of notoriously troubled abortion clinics. Operation Rescue discovered appallingly filthy and unsafe conditions when it bought and closed a Wichita abortion clinic in 2006. Another Wichita abortion clinic was responsible for at least one patient death and send numerous women to the hospital suffering life-threatening abortion complications. A clinic in Kansas City was found to be operating under unbelievably filthy conditions and closed because the abortionist lost his medical license, not because of the conditions themselves.

Three abortions clinic remain in Kansas.

Earlier this session, Kansas passed a ban on abortions after 20 weeks gestation based on the fact that pre-born babies can feel pain and a new parental consent law that requires abortionists to obtain notarized signatures of both parents before girls 17 or under can get abortions.