Kansas City considers financial support for city employees seeking abortion outside Missouri

The City Council will vote on Thursday on whether to provide a stipend to city employees who need to travel out of state for an abortion. Nearly all abortions are now illegal in Missouri.
With nearly all abortions now illegal in Missouri, the Kansas City Council will vote Thursday on whether to provide city employees with a stipend to help travel out-of-state for an abortion.

Currently, the closest location for Kansas Citians seeking an abortion is the Planned Parenthood health center and the Center for Women’s Health in Overland Park, Kansas. The mayor’s office said Tuesday that they are still working out the details, including the amount of money provided for the stipend.

The upcoming vote comes nearly a week after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortions nationwide. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and Attorney General Eric Schmitt then immediately took action to put Missouri’s 2019 “trigger law” into effect.