Reproductive rights

Millions of women use birth control to prevent unintended pregnancies and for other medical necessities. But a new report found that Kansas' policies on contraceptives and family planning are the worst in the country.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed into law a bill that eliminates the so-called "tampon tax" on menstrual products and diapers. But the law doesn't prevent local municipalities from imposing their own additional taxes.

Planned Parenthood Great Rivers opened its books for patients to make abortion appointments starting next week. It's the latest in a saga over abortion access after Missouri voters passed Amendment 3 last November.

A Jackson County Circuit Court judge blocked enforcement last week of nearly all Missouri laws that restrict abortion, ruling the 2024 passage of Amendment 3 enshrined the right to an abortion in the state constitution. Missouri has already started and stopped abortion services several times this year as legal battles continue.

For the third time, a Jackson County judge ruled that Missouri's abortion restrictions cannot be enforced under Amendment 3. Planned Parenthood said its Kansas City clinic will resume services on Monday, but Attorney General Andrew Bailey will appeal the ruling.

The Missouri Supreme Court ordered a Jackson County judge to lift her rulings that allowed abortions to resume in the state. Why did the court decide to put the ban back into effect for now?

Buying a new trumpet or trombone could get a lot more expensive, as Kansas City music store owners are getting hit hard by President Trump's on-again, off-again tariffs. Plus: A prominent Kansas abortion clinic has a new leader with plans to expand access.

“The next three and a half years are going to continue to be very bumpy” for the reproductive rights movement, says Kathryn Boyd of Trust Women in Wichita. “We just have to be ready.”

Even after Missouri Republicans pushed through a measure that would ban most abortions again, which voters will likely see on the 2026 ballot, Planned Parenthood will continue offering abortion services throughout the state.

The reproductive health nonprofit Right By You contends that Missouri's parental consent law is unconstitutional under Amendment 3, the abortion rights measure passed by voters last year. It's also challenging Missouri’s ban on aiding or assisting a minor seeking an abortion.

Alexis McGill Johnson says the passage of Amendment 3 in Missouri showed that the issue of abortion rights transcends party and gender lines. Despite the vote, Missouri Republicans are now attempting to put an abortion ban back on the statewide ballot.

The proposed amendment, if passed by the Senate and approved in a statewide election, would repeal the reproductive rights measure passed by voters in November. It would allow some exceptions in the first 12 weeks of gestation, but House Speaker Jon Patterson said that doesn't go far enough to protect assault victims.