Kansas Gov. Brownback signs anti-abortion 'Conscience' bill

TOPEKA, Kan., May 15 (UPI) -- Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has signed legislation allowing pharmacists to refuse to provide drugs they believe might cause an abortion.

"The Health Care Rights of Conscience Act," which will bar anyone from being required to prescribe or administer a drug they "reasonably believe" could result in the termination of a pregnancy, was signed into law Monday.

"Conscience clauses" have been included in state legislation since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973. Kansas has had a law, since 1970, exempting medical practitioners from any requirement to perform or participate in abortions, but in recent years the national focus has been on pharmaceuticals, particularly those administered in emergency situations to prevent a pregnancy, the Wichita Eagle reported Tuesday.