Nonresidents characterize three-fourths of 19,467 abortions in Kansas.
by Tim Carpenter, for Kansas Reflector
Demand for abortion in Kansas skyrocketed by 58% throughout 2023 in response to near-total bans on the process in Missouri and Oklahoma and strict limits in different Midwest states.
The Kansas Division of Well being and Atmosphere says Kansas documented 7,849 abortions in 2021. The U.S. Supreme Court docket’s determination to strike down Roe v. Wade and the 2019 Kansas Supreme Court docket’s opinion that girls had a state constitutional proper to terminate a being pregnant have been components within the rise in Kansas abortions to 12,319 in 2022.
Kansas’ complete of abortions considerably escalated in 2023 to 19,467, KDHE mentioned, for the 58% uptick in comparison with 2022.
In 2022, nonresidents obtained 8,475 abortions. The variety of out-of-state sufferers reached 15,111 in 2023. When it comes to Kansas residents, final yr’s 4,356 abortions was a rise 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,” mentioned Belief Girls, which operates a clinic in Wichita.
Passage of a Missouri constitutional modification in November to reestablish reproductive freedom might have an affect on nonresident abortions in Kansas throughout 2025.
“The courts are thoughtfully reviewing years of complex anti-abortion laws and bans in Missouri,” mentioned Deliberate Parenthood Nice Plains. “While this process takes time, rest assured we are committed to continue fighting for Missourians’ access to their new constitutional right.”
In 2019, the Kansas Supreme Court docket held the state’s Invoice of Rights contained the correct to manage one’s personal physique and train self-determination. The justices mentioned this elementary state proper included selections about being pregnant.
Quickly after reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022, Kansas voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposed modification to the Structure that might have opened the door to extra strict abortion legal guidelines.
Danielle Underwood, spokeswoman for Kansas For Life, mentioned the state’s two-year enhance in abortions didn’t characterize pursuits of Kansans.
“Anyone who says this is what Kansans voted for is a liar and on the wrong side of history,” Underwood mentioned. “The surge of abortions in Kansas is a heartbreaking reminder of the abortion industry’s relentless targeting of vulnerable women who are no longer protected by enforceable informed consent laws or basic abortion facility inspection and safety standards.”
In 2024, the state Supreme Court docket struck down anti-abortion statutes, together with the ban on a second trimester process and legal guidelines regulating abortion suppliers extra aggressively than different well being professionals. Underneath present requirements, an abortion in Kansas could also be carried out as much as 22 weeks of being pregnant.
In 2024, Nebraska voters inserted a 12-week ban into its state structure. Iowa enforces a six-week ban. Missouri and Oklahoma have been prohibiting abortion besides to guard people from life-threatening conditions.
Final yr, KDHE reported, 69% of Kansas resident abortions occurred previous to 9 weeks of gestational age. About 90% have been previous to the thirteenth week, KDHE mentioned. Eighty-five % of ladies receiving Kansas abortions final yr have been single.
KDHE mentioned the abortion ratio of 128 per 1,000 stay births for Kansas residents in 2023 was 14.5% greater than the ratio of 111.8 per 1,000 stay births in 2022. The ratio had dropped from 151 abortions per 1,000 stay births in 2004.
Throughout 2023, Kansas recorded 34,041 stay births amongst residents of the state. The speed per 1,000 individuals in Kansas was the bottom since state officers started monitoring the determine in 1912.
The variety of Kansas pregnancies for people underneath 20 years of age in 2023 was 2,041, down 2.6% from 2022. It represented the bottom being pregnant charge for this age group in 20 years.
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