Kansas court asked to rule on abortion

TOPEKA, KANSAS - Cheered on by abortion opponents, Kansas lawmakers voted to ask the state Supreme Court to declare that life begins at the moment of conception. <br> <br> Members of the state&#39;s House of Representatives voted 70-50 on Thursday to direct the attorney general&#39;s office to file a lawsuit asking the court for the declaration. <br> <br> ``This is a direct attack on Roe v. Wade,&#39;&#39; said Rep. Rick Rehorn, an attorney and Democrat who supports abortion rights. <br> <br> Abortion opponents hope the court will rule that a fetus is entitled to protections provided by the Kansas Constitution, including the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. <br> <br> Under state law, the attorney general must raise questions of constitutional law with the court when ordered to do so by either chamber of the Legislature. The Senate doesn&#39;t have to vote on the issue. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s the best method the House of Representatives has to show the importance of life,&#39;&#39; said Republican Rep. Dan Williams. ``That issue is vital to the issue of abortion, as well as many of the issues we deal with.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Those who oppose abortion say the issue is ripe for review by the courts because of advances in medical science since abortion was legalized by the U.S. Supreme Court&#39;s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. <br> <br> But abortion rights supporters question whether lawmakers are wasting their time, saying the state court, most likely, will simply uphold Roe v. Wade. <br> <br> On reason lawmakers haven&#39;t taken up the issue in recent years is that the attorney general, Carla Stovall, is a staunch abortion rights supporter. But now, she is preparing to leave office to run for governor. <br> <br> The lawsuit ordered Thursday by the House would not be filed until after Feb. 1, 2003, when a new attorney general will have taken office.