Late Term

The Kansas attorney general cannot have unfettered access to the records of 90 patients who had abortions at two clinics, the state Supreme Court ruled yesterday, ending a case that had sparked a national outcry over patient privacy. Attorney General Phill Kline, an outspoken abortion foe, subpoenaed the records last February as part of an investigation into possible violations of Kansas law, which forbids abortions after 22 weeks unless the mother's life is at risk. Kline was also investigating whether minors who had abortions were abused.

WASHINGTON -- Bush administration lawyers asked the Supreme Court yesterday to reinstate the first federal law banning a late-term abortion procedure, arguing that it should be outlawed because it is gruesome and is "never medically indicated" as a safer surgical procedure. The government's appeal asks the court to overturn the decision of a U.S. appeals court in St. Louis, which struck down the federal law as unconstitutional. It came on the same day the Senate took up the nomination of Judge John G. Roberts Jr. as chief justice of the United States.

CHICAGO -- Kansas' attorney general, as part of a criminal investigation into child rape and late-term abortions, is demanding that two health centers hand over the complete medical records of nearly 90 female patients, including minors. The investigation was disclosed in a filing to the Kansas Supreme Court by two unidentified clinics, which have been ordered by a district court judge to disclose the patients' names as well as their medical history, birth control and sexual practices, and other personal details.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - Eating lunch at a McDonald's a few miles from home, Lori Watts and her four children attract little attention. Tabytha thumbs through a blue spiral notebook between bites of her caramel sundae, while her younger sister, Donna Joy, jumps around in the ball pit. But instead of the usual teen-age doodles, Tabytha's notebook is full of photos of fetuses, which the 14-year-old shows to pregnant strangers when she attends abortion protests....

The usually mundane race for who will lead Republicans in the House of Delegates has taken a nasty turn because of a battle over one candidate's support for abortion rights. In dispute is whether Del. Adelaide C. Eckardt's position on abortion makes her unfit to serve as the House minority whip, the second-ranking position in the GOP leadership. "I don't remember another race for leader as emotional as this race is," said Del. A. Wade Kach, a 29-year veteran of the House who is running on a ticket with Eckardt.

WASHINGTON - Opening a new phase yesterday in the volatile judicial debate over abortion rights, the Senate passed legislation banning a procedure its opponents call "partial-birth" abortion, paving the way for its enactment this spring. The action was a triumph for the Republican Congress and for President Bush, who cheered the vote, calling the abortion method "an abhorrent procedure that offends human dignity." The Senate's vote "is an important step toward building a culture of life in America," Bush said.

WASHINGTON - Abortion opponents are poised to achieve a major victory today, with the Senate set to pass a measure, backed by President Bush, that would ban a procedure its critics call "partial-birth" abortion. The passage of the bill, which is likely to clear the House and become law within weeks, would culminate nearly a decade of Republican efforts to ban the procedure. The bill would impose the first substantial federal curbs on abortion rights since the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe vs. Wade ruling established a constitutional right to abortion.

WASHINGTON -Delving once again into the volatile arena of abortion politics, the Senate began debate yesterday on a bill to ban a specific controversial abortion procedure, with the measure widely expected to reach the president's desk. The bill, similar to one twice vetoed by President Bill Clinton, has been a top goal of anti-abortion forces since 1995. This time, congressional passage would be a significant victory for those groups because President Bush has made it clear that he would sign the bill.

THE SUPREME COURT'S decision 30 years ago today to decriminalize abortion will be an anniversary noisily marked. Outraged opponents will rally in protest as they have almost annually. Ardent advocates will issue statements of support, and summon their own troops in defense of the policy. Much of the rest of the country will groan, feel vaguely uncomfortable and try to tune it out. Polls suggest that most Americans don't consider abortion an issue that lends itself to absolutes. They may support a woman's right to make the choice, or at least respect her privacy.

Abortion-rights legislators warned yesterday that they are ready to fend off any changes to Maryland's abortion laws after hearing about anti-abortion lawmakers' preliminary plans for legislation. At an organizational meeting this week, a coalition of about 30 legislators discussed the possibility of legislation to tighten the state's parental notification law, which gives doctors the discretion not to inform the parents of a minor seeking an abortion. The group is also considering attempting to remove from the budget public funding for abortion in certain cases and proposing a bill to ban late-term abortions.