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Even as scores of U.S. abortion clinics have shut down, the number of doctors trained to provide the procedure has surged – but only in some parts of the country. Two little-known training programs say they have expanded rapidly in recent years, fueled by robust private funding and strong demand. Launched nearly a quarter century ago amid protest and violence, the programs now train more than 1,000 doctors and medical students annually in reproductive services, from contraception to all types of abortion, according to interviews with Reuters. But their impact is limited. Most of the doctors end up working near where they train, not in several Southern and Midwestern states that have imposed waiting periods, mandated counseling and enacted other controls. (Mincer, 4/11)

The Kansas Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether the conservative state's constitution guarantees the right to an abortion as part of an appeal of a groundbreaking appeals court ruling. The appeal comes after the Kansas Court of Appeals refused to implement the state's first-in-the-nation ban on a common second-trimester abortion method. In a split decision, the court said the Kansas Constitution protects abortion rights independently from the U.S. Constitution. If upheld, the ruling would allow state courts to protect a woman's right to end her pregnancy beyond federal court rulings. (4/12)

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against a Roman Catholic hospital group, which was challenged over its anti-abortion policy. Detroit federal Judge Gershwin Drain says the American Civil Liberties Union and its members have no standing to sue Trinity Health Corp. In a 13-page decision Monday, he said the ACLU failed to explain what medical conditions would place their members at risk or if they are currently at risk. (4/12)

Planned Parenthood officials say they would lose more than $4 million a year in government reimbursements under a bill moving through the Minnesota House. (Pugmire, 4/12)