Planned Parenthood

In response to increasing abortion restrictions in the region, a Planned Parenthood chapter in Missouri and Illinois is preparing to open a mobile unit providing abortions in southern Illinois.

A proposal from Jackson County Executive Frank White would provide financial assistance for residents seeking abortions in other states. But critics question whether such a plan is legal.

Aunque la clínica de Planned Parenthood Great Plains está experimentando una gran demanda de abortos, la mayoría de los pacientes nunca pondrán un pie en su nueva clínica de Kansas City, Kansas. Ya que ahora mismo, sólo pueden atender entre el 10% y el 15% de las personas que solicitan cita.

A new Planned Parenthood in Kansas City, Kansas, opened in June, just after the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Just a few months in, the demand for abortion services has become more than they can handle. Plus: How Hays, Kansas, became the pioneer for water conservation in the Midwest.

While Planned Parenthood Great Plains is experiencing greater demand for abortions than ever before, most patients will never set foot in their new Kansas City, Kansas, clinic. Right now, they can only accommodate 10% to 15% of people requesting appointments.

Kansas clinics that provide abortions are struggling to keep up with demand as patients travel from as far as Texas and Louisiana to receive care.

Kansas is one of a few states in its region where abortion is legal. Planned Parenthood Great Plains is struggling to keep up with demand as patients travel from as far as Texas and Louisiana to receive care.

The mobile clinic will be part of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, and will provide medication abortions up to 11 weeks gestation. It’s expected to launch later this year.

Dr. Colleen P. McNicholas, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, said Missouri’s ban on abortions has led doctors and pharmacists to deny patients vital medications. She said patients who need lifesaving abortions are now at risk, because doctors have to wait for guidance from lawyers.

Missouri has now banned abortion in the state, except in cases where a parent’s health is severely threatened. But the full effects of the state’s ban and its legal ramifications are still to be seen, and activists on both sides say their work is far from over.

Following Friday's U.S. Supreme Court decision to eliminate the federal right to abortion access, Johnson Countians gathered in Overland Park to protest for reproductive rights. In Kansas, an upcoming constitutional amendment vote could determine the future of abortion access in the state.

Abortion rights supporters in Missouri decried the court's decision to roll back decades of federal protections for people seeking abortions.