(AP)--The Kansas Supreme Court has ruled for the first time that the state constitution protects abortion rights and has blocked a first-in-the-nation ban on a common second trimester procedure.
The court's ruling Friday was a major victory for abortion rights supporters in a state with an anti-abortion Legislature.
It prevents the state from enforcing a 2015 law that could have reduced second-trimester abortions and allows challenges to other restrictions under the state constitution.
The court said language in the Kansas Constitution guaranteeing individual rights protects a woman's right to obtain an abortion independent of the U.S. Constitution. Kansas courts could strike down restrictions that have been upheld by the federal courts.
The decision also stymies the attempt by abortion opponents to outlaw what the law described as "dismemberment abortion."
Shortly after the Supreme Court's ruling, United States Senator Jerry Moran, a Republican from KS, issued the following statement:
© Associated Press
MOST VIEWED STORIES
Holton man killed in Jackson Co crash
Morrill pair arrested on drug, child endangerment charges
Cold case investigation leads to Holton warrant
Effingham owner regains truck following theft, arrest
Horton City Clerk's resignation accepted Monday
Local residents avoid injury in chain reaction crash
Former Kickapoo Tribal chairman arrested
90 mph+ downburst winds blamed for Thursday damage
Winchester native named as Amberwell CEO
Wamego man sentenced in second fentanyl-related death
Mayetta pair arrested on meth, child endangerment charges
Holton property search concludes with arrest
Stolen trailer, 4-wheeler, recovered in Atchison
Juveniles face charges following Atchison break-in
Atchison Co's Oswald named honorary bailiff for KS Court
Two arrested following Friday Jackson Co traffic stop
McLouth man injured in Monday wreck
No injuries in early Sunday morning house fire in Falls City
LATEST STORIES
KS prepares for severe weekend weather
Richardson County Board approves pay raise for dispatchers
NPPD urges farmers to be safe around power lines
Arbor Day proclaimed in Atchison
Former AG Schmidt running for KS' 2nd Congressional District
Doniphan Co Commission approves overlay projects
Holton property search concludes with arrest
Former Kickapoo Tribal chairman arrested