Abortion is legal in the United States. But as of tomorrow, there will be one state where you can’t get one.
Tomorrow is when Kansas’s new TRAP (targeted regulation of abortion providers) regulations will go into place, forcing every abortion clinic in the state to close because none can meet the state’s onerous new rules. The AP elaborates:
The regulations tell providers what equipment and drugs they must stock and set space and temperature requirements for procedure and recovery rooms.
For example, rooms where abortions are performed to have at least 150 square feet of space, excluding fixed cabinets, and to keep their temperatures between 68 and 73 degrees. Each procedure room also must have its own janitor's closet with at least 50 square feet.
TRAP laws are one of the most effective ways states have to eliminate access to abortion without outright banning it. Proponents often say they are concerned with the safety of patients, but the substance of the regulations imply otherwise. Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures available – with or without a 50 square foot janitor’s closet available next door.
On the other hand, illegal abortions are incredibly dangerous. As states shut out opportunities for women to access and pay for safe and legal abortion procedures, more and more women may be driven to seek dangerous, illegal procedures.
For more on TRAP laws and other ways state legislatures are trying to make abortion all but illegal, take a look at our report on the war on women in the states.
UPDATE: In a last minute decision, one clinic will be allowed to stay open.