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Kansas City Today

Kansas voters defended abortion access, but that's no guarantee

By Nomin Ujiyediin,
Trevor Grandin, Byron J. Love
Published August 24, 2022 at 4:00 AM CDT
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After voters defended the right to abortion at the ballot, Kansas will continue to be an abortion destination for patients coming from other states where the procedure is banned. At the same time, many rural Kansas counties that voted to protect abortion rights are likely to send anti-abortion conservatives back to the Legislature.

Kansas abortion-rights advocates cleared a massive hurtle with the rejection of an amendment to the state constitution that likely would have led to an abortion ban. Despite the victory, attention is turning to a new hurtle — an influx of out of state patients, coming from places where Republican lawmakers have successfully banned the procedure. KMUW's Rose Conlon reports how clinics are keeping up with the demand.

Several Kansas counties that rejected the constitutional amendment on abortion are still sending anti-abortion legislators to the Statehouse. Why? Because these Republican candidates continue to run unopposed. Kansas News Service reporter Dylan Lysen spoke with editor Stephen Koranda about how that may allow the Kansas Legislature to further restrict abortion despite the amendment's defeat.

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR onTwitter andFacebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love, Trevor Grandin, and KCUR Studios and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate

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Kansas City Today abortionhealth careKansasKansas HouseKansas government
Nomin Ujiyediin
As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
See stories by Nomin Ujiyediin
Trevor Grandin
Trevor Grandin is a contributing producer for KCUR Studios.
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Byron J. Love
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
See stories by Byron J. Love
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