Roe v. Wade has been struck down. What does that mean for abortion access in MO and KS?
.jpg "Kendal Underwood, left, and Brittany Nickens protest in support of abortion rights outside Planned Parenthood Friday, June 24, 2022, in St. Louis. Most abortions are now illegal in Missouri following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended a constitutional protection for abortion.")
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What does overturning Roe v. Wade mean for KS, MO?
Kansas and Missouri now have more control over abortion access in their state following the Roe v. Wade, a landmark 1973 court ruling that established abortion as a constitutional right. Here’s what that looks like.
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In a Supreme Court decision published Friday, the landmark 1973 case enshrining the right to abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy has been struck down. Roe v. Wade protected the right to abortion at the federal level, superseding many state laws that sought to restrict it.
What does this decision mean for people seeking an abortion in the Kansas City area? We spoke with local abortion clinics within driving distance to find out.
How has abortion access changed at Missouri clinics?
Missouri’s trigger ban law was enacted Friday morning, making nearly all abortions illegal in Missouri, including in cases of rape and incest. Abortion is only permissible under the state’s “trigger ban” law if the life or health of a pregnant person is in jeopardy. We have yet to see how this exception will be interpreted by doctors and prosecutors.
“We will have to stop providing abortions at our clinic in St. Louis immediately,” said Bonyen Lee-Gilmore, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of the Saint Louis Region (PPSLR), in an interview on Tuesday, June 21. “It comes with criminal penalties.”
The St. Louis clinic, called Reproductive Health Services of PPSLR, was the only clinic in the state of Missouri that provided abortion services. However, several other clinics just across the state line in Illinois will continue to provide abortion services.
“Illinois passed the Reproductive Health Act in 2019, which enshrines abortion rights in state law,” Lee-Gilmore said. The two Illinois clinics in the St. Louis area are Hope Clinic for Women and Planned Parenthood Fairview Heights Health Center.
Lee-Gilmore said that because the Roe decision does not impact abortion services in Illinois, the Fairview Heights location will keep booking abortion appointments without interruption.
At Hope Clinic for Women, a scheduler told The Star on Thursday that appointment availability changes every day.
“Right now, for the medical abortion pill, we’re at least two weeks out,” said Frances, who asked to be identified only by her first name. “If you need our help, I would just call sooner rather than later.”
How has abortion access changed at Kansas clinics?
For now, abortion is still legal in Kansas up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. Since both of the Kansas City area abortion clinics are in Kansas, this means that abortion access in the metro has not immediately changed.
“Most importantly, to our patients: Our clinics are still open, and will remain open,” said Zachary Gingrich-Gaylord, a spokesperson for Kansas abortion provider Trust Women in a press release following Friday’s decision. “Abortion is one of the safest forms of medicine, and is an essential part of comprehensive health care. For as long as we are able, we will continue to provide abortions to our communities.”
The two Kansas City area clinics are the Center for Women’s Health and Planned Parenthood Comprehensive Health Center, both located in Overland Park.
There are also two clinics providing abortions in Wichita: Trust Women and Planned Parenthood Wichita Health Center.
“The primary obstacle impacting Kansans’ access to local abortion care is the increasing number of states around us that are banning abortions, or otherwise severely restricting local access,” Gingrich-Gaylord said.
He told The Star that Kansas’ clinics have been overwhelmed for months, with Trust Women’s patients seeing wait times of two to three weeks to get an abortion appointment. Further restrictions caused by “trigger bans” in surrounding states will only make the backlog worse, Gingrich-Gaylord said.
“Readers should know that making an appointment can be difficult, and will require multiple phone calls in order to get through,” he added. “We will continue to provide abortions in Kansas for as many people as we can reasonably see.”
The outcome of the state’s primary elections on August 2 may affect this. A ballot initiative could amend Kansas’ state constitution to say that it does not protect the right to abortion. If the amendment passes, it would give state and local lawmakers an opening to further restrict the procedure in the future.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREKansans will vote on abortion amendment in Aug. 2 primary election
The Kansas state constitution currently protects the right to abortion, but the upcoming Aug. 2 vote will ask voters to decide on an amendment that would get rid of those protections.
If Kansans vote yes on the ballot and the amendment passes, the legislature will be able to impose new restrictions on abortion, which could include the possibility of completely banning the procedure.
If Kansans vote no and the amendment does not pass, the legislature would continue to be barred from passing most legislation that impedes on a woman’s access to abortion. Kansas currently heavily regulates abortion, even with this protection in place, but amendment proponents believe many of those regulations could be struck down under the 2019 state Supreme Court ruling that found the right to an abortion.
All registered voters can participate in the vote, regardless of party affiliation. If you’re a Kansas resident and not already a registered voter or need to re-register, find more information here.
If you have any more questions about the upcoming primary in Kansas or Missouri, check out this election guide and fill out this form with your questions.
How has abortion access changed in other nearby states?
If you’re willing and able to drive as far as Illinois to get an abortion, other clinics at a similar distance in Iowa and Nebraska will likely remain open in the immediate future. Neither Iowa nor Nebraska has a trigger law that will immediately ban abortion. They are:
Planned Parenthood’s Rosenfield Health Center of Des Moines
Planned Parenthood’s Council Bluffs Health Center
CARE- Clinics for Abortion and Reproductive Excellence in Bellevue, Nebraska
Planned Parenthood’s Lincoln South Health Center
The other states surrounding Missouri have more restrictive laws. Oklahoma passed a law that NPR called “the nation’s strictest abortion ban” before the Roe decision was even released, so clinics there have been unable to provide abortions for several months. Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee all have trigger laws in place that can ban abortion in all or most cases.
Some people may seek out a medication abortion, which can be complicated in Kansas and Missouri. Here’s what to know about medication abortion and “abortion by mail” around KC.
Do you have more questions about abortion laws or resources in the Kansas City area? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published June 24, 2022 at 9:28 AM with the headline "Roe v. Wade has been struck down. What does that mean for abortion access in MO and KS?."
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