Life and death on the line in a Johnson County courtroom
News and analysis by Lucrecia Nold, public policy specialist for the Kansas Catholic Conference
Most politically engaged Kansans are aware of the infamous 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision called Hodes vs Schmidt. This High Court decision, instigated by the Kansas abortion industry, created a new constitutional “right” to abortion within the state of Kansas.
That ruling meant every legal safeguard protecting women and their preborn children was suddenly and radically “presumed unconstitutional.” Yes, certain laws were still technically in the books, but they had no teeth, and no real strength.
When the Value Them Both amendment vote failed in 2022, the horrific Kansas Supreme Court decision became further entrenched. The abortion industry then did what was predicted (and ignored by the secular press)—they began suing in court for the formal removal of all protections for women and preborn babies.
An attack on healthcare protection for women is exactly what is happening now in a trial playing out in a Johnson County courtroom in a case known as Hodes & Nauser v. Kobach.
Specifically, the abortion industry wants to end the Women’s Right to Know Act (or the WRTK for short), which has been a part of Kansas law since 1997. A legal team hired by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is trying to save the WRTK. Secular news media coverage of the trial is virtually non-existent.
A LEGACY OF PROTECTING WOMEN
WRTK was first passed to make sure women seeking an abortion could at least receive basic healthcare information about their pregnancy and the abortion option so they could make a fully informed choice.
This healthcare information included the option of receiving a sonogram image to help document their preborn child’s development. WRTK also included a 24-hour waiting period. In recent years, additional provisions to WRTK were passed, including abortion pill reversal information, and an optional questionnaire seeking the reason for an abortion.
Almost a year ago, a Kansas judge stopped all enforcement of the WRTK. Remember, most provisions of the WRTK have been in place informing and protecting Kansas women for 25+ years! The Kansas abortion industry has taken full advantage of this legal imbalance.
Kansas is now the abortion destination of the Midwest, with 60+ abortions taking place each day. This “pause” in enforcing the law (known as a temporary injunction), is now being permanently decided at a trial.
INSIDE THE COURTROOM
One “expert witness” brought by the abortion industry was an abortion doctor who sounded like a woman but looked and dressed like a man and requested “they/them” pronouns be used. The abortion industry also called to the stand a professor of law, the CEO/President of Comprehensive Health & Planned Parenthood Great Plains, a medical sociologist, a researcher and a professor of public health.
These witnesses followed an overarching theme in their testimony: the WRTK prohibits their ability to see patients and perform abortions. The 24-hour waiting period stops “same day” abortions. Signage with abortion pill reversal information distracts, prompts (unwanted) questions, and takes up too much staff time.
One witness was concerned about the WRTK creating abortion stigma and even testified that a ban after 36 weeks gestation (ready to begin labor and give birth) should not be allowed because it would cause a stigma!
There were numerous gasp-worthy comments made by witnesses during the opening days of the trial. Little is left to the imagination about the weight of this trial and its implication on protecting lives of women and their preborn children.
This trial will be decided by one judge. If he sides with the abortion industry, the Kansas Women’s Right to know law will be completely struck down. Women (and their preborn children) from Kansas and other states will be permanently at risk.
The trial will resume Tuesday, October 14, 2025, in the Johnson County Courthouse in Olathe, courtroom 2D at 9:00am. It is not known when a decision will be issued.
ADDITIONAL PERSPECTIVES
To learn more about the trial, we encourage you to check out the following news articles:
Op-Ed: The battle for informed consent: Kansas pro life law under threat- by our friend Brittany Jones of Kansas Family Voice.
Planned Parenthood and abortionists want to end informed consent in Kansas- by our friend Isabella Childs of Live Action.
We humbly ask for your prayers for this trial; for lawyers representing the State of Kansas, for the conversion of heart for the abortion industry and wisdom for the judge.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the unborn, pray for us!
Lucrecia Nold
Public Policy Specialist
Kansas Catholic Conference