A new Kansas statute stripping a Planned Parenthood chapter of its federal funding faces its first test Monday in a federal courtroom.
Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri has asked U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten to block the provision's implementation. His ruling could imminently impact thousands of low-income patients.
Roughly 5,700 women, men and teenagers depend on Planned Parenthood clinics in Wichita and Hays for contraception services, pregnancy testing, cancer screenings and testing for sexually transmitted disease.
No federal money is used for abortions.
Planned Parenthood says without an injunction it will be forced to close its Hays clinic.
It says patients face higher fees, less access to services and longer wait or travel times for appointments. The state says it can offer those services at public entities.
