A bill advancing in Kansas would mandate reporting for miscarriages at any stage in pregnancy, the first step along the path to criminalizing pregnant women’s bodies. Under an amendment attached to HB 2613 – which was originally intended to update the state’s procedure for issuing birth certificates for stillborn babies – doctors would be required to report all of their patients’ miscarriages to the state health department.

HB 2613 initially sought to provide an alternative to the state’s current stillbirth certificate, which some parents believe over-emphasizes their child’s death in an emotionally painful way. Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook (R), one of the most ardent abortion opponents in Kansas, added the miscarriage reporting requirement last week. Now, the bill’s original author is withdrawing his support from his own legislation.

‘I can’t support the bill as it was amended,” Kansas Rep. John Doll (R) told ThinkProgress. ‘I think it waters it down and makes it into a political statement. I wanted a bill to help give closure to some families – I didn’t want it to have anything to do with pro-life or pro-choice issues.”

But Pilcher-Cook frequently wades into these issues. The lawmaker has also attempted to outlaw surrogacy, weaken the state’s sex ed requirements, […]