Nonresidents represent three-fourths of 19,467 abortions in Kansas. by Tim Carpenter, for Kansas Reflector Demand for abortion in Kansas skyrocketed by 58% during 2023 in response to near-total bans on the procedure in Missouri and Oklahoma and strict limits in other Midwest states. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says Kansas documented 7,849 abortions in 2021.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v.
Wade and the 2019 Kansas Supreme Court’s opinion that women had a state constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy were factors in the rise in Kansas abortions to 12,319 in 2022. Kansas’ total of abortions substantially escalated in 2023 to 19,467, KDHE said, for the 58% uptick compared to 2022. In 2022, nonresidents received 8,475 abortions.
The number of out-of-state patients reached 15,111 in 2023. In terms of Kansas residents, last year’s 4,356 abortions was an increase of 512 from 2022. “Access to abortion shouldn’t depend on zip codes, but legal battles in states like Arizona mean that access to care is hanging in the balance,” said Trust Women, which operates a clinic in Wichita.
Passage of a Missouri constitutional amendment in November to reestablish reproductive freedom could have an influence on nonresident abortions in Kansas during 2025. “The courts are thoughtfully reviewing years of complex anti-abortion laws and bans in Missouri,” said Planned Parenthood Great Plains. “While this process takes time, rest assur.
