Posted on Jan 2, 2024
Abortion remains hotly contested in Kansas heading into the 2024 legislative session
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Kansas abortion providers filed a major new lawsuit that will test the constitutionality of several of the state’s longstanding abortion restrictions. An upcoming hearing for that case will help determine how the state is allowed to regulate abortion in the coming years.
WICHITA, Kansas — From an influx of patients to evolving state restrictions, 2023 brought changes to abortion access in Kansas — and more could be on the way in 2024.
After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Kansas became a hub for people who can’t access abortions in their home state. In 2023, patients from across the South and Midwest continued to seek abortions at Kansas clinics, making it increasingly difficult for Kansans to access abortions locally.
Abortion rights groups continued to work in 2023 to keep abortion as accessible and affordable as possible in a rapidly evolving policy landscape.
Abortion opponents in the Kansas Legislature worked to restrict reproductive care in new ways, with mixed results. And as lawmakers prepare to head back to Topeka next week for a new legislative session, Republicans have a veto-proof supermajority — but remain constrained by the Kansas Constitution’s firm protections for abortion rights.
WICHITA, Kansas — From an influx of patients to evolving state restrictions, 2023 brought changes to abortion access in Kansas — and more could be on the way in 2024.
After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Kansas became a hub for people who can’t access abortions in their home state. In 2023, patients from across the South and Midwest continued to seek abortions at Kansas clinics, making it increasingly difficult for Kansans to access abortions locally.
Abortion rights groups continued to work in 2023 to keep abortion as accessible and affordable as possible in a rapidly evolving policy landscape.
Abortion opponents in the Kansas Legislature worked to restrict reproductive care in new ways, with mixed results. And as lawmakers prepare to head back to Topeka next week for a new legislative session, Republicans have a veto-proof supermajority — but remain constrained by the Kansas Constitution’s firm protections for abortion rights.
Abortion remains hotly contested in Kansas heading into the 2024 legislative session
Posted from kcur.org
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Posted 5 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Here’s where things stand regarding abortion in Kansas and what to watch for in 2024.
More people are traveling to Kansas for abortions
Kansas saw a sharp increase in abortions after the fall of Roe in 2022.
Data from the state health department shows that Kansas clinics performed 12,318 abortions in 2022 — 57% more than in 2021. Out-of-state patients more than accounted for the increase; around 100 fewer Kansans got abortions through the formal health care system.
Official numbers for 2023 won’t be released for several months. But data from a few independent groups indicates continued growth in the number of abortions happening in Kansas in 2023. More patients, they also find, are traveling from other states.
A recent analysis from the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights, found that 3,700 more people traveled to Kansas for an abortion in the first half of 2023 compared with a similar period in 2020. Around 65% of abortions in Kansas are now performed on out-of-state residents — the second-highest percentage of any state in the country.
At some clinics, the portion of out-of-state patients is even higher. Trust Women, in Wichita, says 81 out of every 100 clients they see have traveled from Texas, Oklahoma or another state. In December, staff reported receiving between 3,000 and 4,000 phone calls a day — most of them requesting appointments — when they can only see between 40 and 50 appointments
That’s resulted in some Kansans seeking abortions in other states.
Abortion rights groups have mobilized to ensure as many people as possible can still access reproductive care. That includes one group organizing pilots to fly patients from states with bans to Kansas and elsewhere in private planes.
Abortion funds, which help people pay for and travel to abortion appointments, are dealing with mounting requests for help — at the same time that they report falling donations.
More Kansans, too, are turning to online pharmacies to order abortion pills. Data from one overseas pharmacy showed that orders from Kansas for the standard two-pill regimen of Mifepristone and Misoprostol doubled from May 2022 to August 2022 — a period when demand for appointments at Kansas clinics skyrocketed."...
..."Here’s where things stand regarding abortion in Kansas and what to watch for in 2024.
More people are traveling to Kansas for abortions
Kansas saw a sharp increase in abortions after the fall of Roe in 2022.
Data from the state health department shows that Kansas clinics performed 12,318 abortions in 2022 — 57% more than in 2021. Out-of-state patients more than accounted for the increase; around 100 fewer Kansans got abortions through the formal health care system.
Official numbers for 2023 won’t be released for several months. But data from a few independent groups indicates continued growth in the number of abortions happening in Kansas in 2023. More patients, they also find, are traveling from other states.
A recent analysis from the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights, found that 3,700 more people traveled to Kansas for an abortion in the first half of 2023 compared with a similar period in 2020. Around 65% of abortions in Kansas are now performed on out-of-state residents — the second-highest percentage of any state in the country.
At some clinics, the portion of out-of-state patients is even higher. Trust Women, in Wichita, says 81 out of every 100 clients they see have traveled from Texas, Oklahoma or another state. In December, staff reported receiving between 3,000 and 4,000 phone calls a day — most of them requesting appointments — when they can only see between 40 and 50 appointments
That’s resulted in some Kansans seeking abortions in other states.
Abortion rights groups have mobilized to ensure as many people as possible can still access reproductive care. That includes one group organizing pilots to fly patients from states with bans to Kansas and elsewhere in private planes.
Abortion funds, which help people pay for and travel to abortion appointments, are dealing with mounting requests for help — at the same time that they report falling donations.
More Kansans, too, are turning to online pharmacies to order abortion pills. Data from one overseas pharmacy showed that orders from Kansas for the standard two-pill regimen of Mifepristone and Misoprostol doubled from May 2022 to August 2022 — a period when demand for appointments at Kansas clinics skyrocketed."...
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