Prosecution of Planned Parenthood Affiliate Remains Heated Issue in Kansas, Even As Case Loses Ground

The New York Times: Abortion Case Loses Ground, but Issue Stays Hot in Kansas, by A.G. Sulzberger:

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — The prosecution of a Planned Parenthood affiliate here, the first such criminal case in the nation, has been treated locally as something of a proxy in the battle over abortion rights. Derided by supporters of the organization as politically motivated, the prosecution was celebrated by opponents as the capstone of increasingly aggressive actions here and elsewhere against Planned Parenthood, which provides abortions and other services at clinics around the country.

Despite the heated discussion, though, much of the legal case was technical, centering on the most politically bland of allegations: faulty record keeping.

So it came as a surprise to many this month when county prosecutors here announced that after years of legal battling, they had been forced to drop nearly half the charges, including all of the felony counts, citing — of all things — faulty record keeping. The misdemeanor charges, which involve accusations of failing to fully determine viability before performing some abortions, are still pending. . . .