Abortion Access Expands in Kansas with New Clinics and Telehealth Services
A Kansas clinic is offering abortion pills prescribed by out-of-state doctors after court ruling. Planned Parenthood Great Plains said the telehealth services at their Wichita clinic will help expand appointment availability at a time when demand has exceeded supply in Kansas. It marks the first time the service has been available in Kansas in several years.
Telehealth Implementation in Wichita
A Planned Parenthood clinic in Wichita has begun allowing patients who visit the clinic in-person to obtain abortion pill prescriptions from out-of-state doctors. Those new telehealth abortion services started Monday and come less than a month after a pivotal court ruling that blocked a state law banning doctors from prescribing abortion-inducing medication remotely. Previously, the Wichita clinic only offered abortion appointments up to a few days per week and primarily relied on flying in doctors from out of town because of a shortage of local physicians willing to handle abortion cases. Planned Parenthood Great Plains President and CEO Emily Wales said she hopes that turns into five days per week with the telehealth appointments.
“It certainly increases availability when the physician doesn’t have to be sitting in the room doing, functionally, the same thing they would be doing if they weren’t there,” she said. The group’s chief medical officer, Iman Alsaden, said in a news release that the move will help overcome the lack of local providers and expand access in a state that values every person’s ability to make their own health care decisions. Patients still must visit the Wichita clinic in-person, where they’ll receive an evaluation, education and state-mandated counseling from local clinicians before meeting with an offsite doctor.
New Clinic Opening in Pittsburg
A new Planned Parenthood clinic in southeast Kansas will be the closest abortion access point for many people in the South and will provide easier access to reproductive health care for southeast Kansans who previously had to travel to Overland Park. The Pittsburg clinic is set to open Monday, Aug. 19. The center expects to have patients from six states in its first five days — Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana. The Pittsburg clinic will offer medication abortions for up to 11 weeks of pregnancy, and surgical abortions for 14-15 weeks of pregnancy.
Impact of Regional Bans and Out-of-State Demand
The move is expected to expand abortion access in Kansas, which emerged as an unlikely abortion refuge after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and many nearby states banned the procedure. Kansas saw a 369% increase in abortions in 2023, with 69% of patients coming from out of state, according to the Guttmacher Institute. For the Trust Women Clinic in Wichita, which was previously the closest city for abortion access for Southern states, 81% of patients were from out of state, with Texas the most common homestate, followed by Oklahoma.
Regional Access and Patient Statistics
| Region/Category | Status or Statistic |
|---|---|
| Kansas (2023) | 369% increase in abortions |
| Out-of-State Patients | 69% of total patients in Kansas |
| Texas and Oklahoma | Total abortion bans, with few exceptions |
| Southern States | Six-week abortion bans |
| Pittsburg Clinic Capacity | Patients expected from 6 different states |
Medication Abortion Services at Aria Medical Clinic
In addition to Planned Parenthood, Aria Medical Clinic in Wichita offers abortion pills (medication abortion) and low-cost ultrasounds. These services include:
- Abortion pills through 12 weeks of pregnancy.
- Affordable abortion fees up to $490.
- Discounts if you can’t pay.
- Private 1-2 hour appointments.
Abortion is legal in Kansas and clinics like Aria Medical support and respect patient choice and decision. The medication abortion process involves two medications and is available through 12 weeks of pregnancy.