K.S.A. » Chapter 65
Kansas Statutes Annotated

K.S.A. § 65-6721 (2026)

Partial birth abortion; restrictions and prohibitions; civil damages and criminal penalties for violations

✓ current as of May 2026
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65-6721. Partial birth abortion; restrictions and prohibitions; civil damages and criminal penalties for violations. (a) No person shall perform or induce a partial birth abortion on an unborn child unless such person is a physician and has a documented referral from another physician who is licensed to practice in this state, and who is not legally or financially affiliated with the physician performing or inducing the abortion and both physicians provide a written determination, based upon a medical judgment that would be made by a reasonably prudent physician, knowledgeable in the field and knowledgeable about the case and the treatment possibilities with respect to the conditions involved, that the partial birth abortion is necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, physical illness or physical injury, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself.

(b) As used in this section, "partial birth abortion" means an abortion procedure in which the person performing the abortion deliberately and intentionally vaginally delivers a living unborn child until, in the case of a head-first presentation, the entire head of the unborn child is outside the body of the mother, or, in the case of a breech presentation, any part of the trunk of the unborn child past the navel is outside the body of the mother, for the purpose of performing an overt act that the person knows will kill the partially delivered living unborn child, and performs the overt act, other than completion of delivery, that kills the partially delivered living unborn child.

(c) (1) If a physician determines in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) that a partial birth abortion is necessary and performs a partial birth abortion on the woman, the physician shall report such determination, the medical basis, including the specific medical diagnosis and the reasons for such determination in writing to the medical care facility in which the abortion is performed for inclusion in the report of the medical care facility to the secretary of health and environment under K.S.A. 65-445, and amendments thereto, or if the abortion is not performed in a medical care facility, the physician shall report such determination, the medical basis, including the specific medical diagnosis, and the reasons for such determination in writing to the secretary of health and environment as part of the written report made by the physician to the secretary of health and environment under K.S.A. 65-445, and amendments thereto. The physician shall retain a copy of the written reports required under this subsection for not less than 10 years.

(2) The secretary of health and environment shall adopt rules and regulations to administer this section. Such rules and regulations shall include:

(A) A detailed list of the contents of the written reports required under paragraph (1) of this subsection; and

(B) detailed information that must be provided by a physician to insure that the specific medical basis and clinical diagnosis regarding the woman is reported.

(d) (1) The father, if married to the woman at the time of the abortion, and, if the woman has not attained the age of 18 years at the time of the abortion, the parents or custodial guardian of the woman, may in a civil action obtain appropriate relief, unless, in a case where the plaintiff is not the woman upon whom the abortion was performed, the pregnancy resulted from the plaintiff's criminal conduct or the plaintiff consented to the abortion.

(2) Such relief shall include:

(A) Money damages for all injuries, psychological and physical, occasioned by the violation of this section;

(B) statutory damages equal to three times the cost of the abortion; and

(C) reasonable attorney fees.

(e) A woman upon whom an abortion is performed shall not be prosecuted under this section for a conspiracy to violate this section pursuant to K.S.A. 21-5302, and amendments thereto.

(f) Nothing in this section shall be construed to create a right to an abortion. Notwithstanding any provision of this section, a person shall not perform an abortion that is prohibited by law.

(g) Upon conviction of a violation of this section, a person shall be guilty of a severity level 8 person felony.

History: L. 1998, ch. 142, § 18; L. 2011, ch. 44, § 8; L. 2011, ch. 91, § 30; July 1.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 6 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 2000–2024 · leading case: Hodes & Nauser, MDS, P.A. v. Schmidt, 440 P.3d 461 (Kan. 2019).
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Hodes & Nauser, MDS, P.A. v. Schmidt, 440 P.3d 461 (Kan. 2019). · cites it 3× “The majority holds remand is unnecessary because S.”
Hodes & Nauser, MDs, P.A. v. Schmidt, 368 P.3d 667 (Kan. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 6× “See K.S.A. 2014 Supp. 65-6721; L. 1998, ch. 142, sec.”
Stenberg v. Carhart, 530 U.S. 914 (2000). · cites it 3× “, Kan. Stat. Ann. § 65-6721 (b)(1) (Supp. 1999).”
State v. Roeder, 336 P.3d 831 (Kan. 2014). “First, the panel found that Holick had failed to establish that partial birth abortions were scheduled on the day of the protest, “let alone that such procedures were planned without compliance with the requirements of K.S.A. 65-6721(a)(1) and (a)(2).” 2007 WL 518988, at *4 .”
Planned Parenthood Fed'n of Am., Inc. v. Gonzales, 435 F.3d 1163 (9th Cir. 2006). “16 .As an example, the Court cited Kansas’s “partial-birth abortion” ban which explicitly exempts the "dilation and evacuation abortion procedure involving dismemberment of the fetus prior to removal from the body of the pregnant woman.”
Hodes & Nauser, MDs v. Kobach, 551 P.3d 37 (Kan. 2024). “) Third, K.S.A. 65-6721(a), the statute proscribing partial birth abortions, provides: "No person shall perform or induce a partial birth abortion on an unborn child unless such person is a physician and has a documented referral from another physician 41 who is licensed to…”
— K.S.A. § 65-6721(a) — 1 case
Hodes & Nauser, MDs v. Kobach, 551 P.3d 37 (Kan. 2024). “) Third, K.S.A. 65-6721(a), the statute proscribing partial birth abortions, provides: "No person shall perform or induce a partial birth abortion on an unborn child unless such person is a physician and has a documented referral from another physician 41 who is licensed to…”
— K.S.A. § 65-6721(a)(1) — 1 case
State v. Roeder, 336 P.3d 831 (Kan. 2014). “First, the panel found that Holick had failed to establish that partial birth abortions were scheduled on the day of the protest, “let alone that such procedures were planned without compliance with the requirements of K.S.A. 65-6721(a)(1) and (a)(2).” 2007 WL 518988, at *4 .”
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