TOPEKA, Kan.—Supporters of a woman’s right to choose abortion rallied at the state capitol here September 7. The rally took place as state officials held a hearing on new restrictions designed to curb clinics providing the procedure.

The Kansas Legislature recently passed a bill requiring abortion providers to meet arbitrary and onerous requirements. The regulations require a specified size for janitorial space, for instance. At the hearing, abortion providers testified that these requirements are medically unnecessary and would force them to close. A federal judge blocked the rules until he decides on a lawsuit brought by Kansas abortion clinics.

“We decided to put up a fight for the right to make choices about our bodies,” said Kaylyn Wright, one of the organizers. “Without access to abortion services there is no choice.”

—DAVID ROSENFELD