Kansas Senate Advances Bills Attacking Reproductive and Trans Rights; Expands Taxpayer Funds for Deceptive Anti-Abortion Centers
For Immediate Release: Feb. 24, 2023
The Senate passed legislation that would ban or limit reproductive health care including telemedicine abortion and gender-affirming care
Despite a resounding win for abortion rights last August and continued cries to protect bodily autonomy, Kansas legislators this week passed several bills out of the Senate that attack a person’s ability to make their own health care decisions, free from government interference. Additionally, lawmakers have prioritized expanding critical taxpayer funds for deceptive anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), none of which are licensed or regulated by the Kansas Department of Health.
The following bills passed out of the Senate this week and will move to the House for consideration:
- SB 5: seeks to ban telemedicine abortion
- SB 96: gives tax incentives to those who donate to non-licensed CPCs
- SB 233: bans gender affirming care for minors, allows individuals who receive care to sue a provider
Statement from Emily Wales, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes:
“Lawmakers sent a clear, alarming message this week that they do not value or listen to the will of Kansans. These proposed bans go against accepted standards of medical care and put at risk the health, livelihoods, and futures of patients. Politicians would rather divert funds to unregulated, anti-abortion centers that provide no actual medical care than address health care disparities across the state. It’s a sad reminder that lawmakers should not be legislating other people’s personal health care decisions, which Kansans said loud and clear when they overwhelmingly protected abortion rights just six months ago.”
On Monday, March 6, Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes – in partnership with the ACLU of Kansas, URGE KS, and Trust Women – will hold a Kansans for Bodily Autonomy Advocacy Day at the Capital to fight for reproductive freedom and trans rights.
Medication abortion is extremely safe, and considered less of a threat than other common medical procedures like wisdom teeth removal and colonoscopies. Following a court ruling late last year that affirmed providing medication abortions via telemedicine is legal, Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains (CHPPGP) launched telehealth medication abortion services in Kansas in an effort to expand care options.
CPCs do not provide abortion care or a full range of sexual and reproductive health care. Most CPCs are not considered legitimate medical clinics and do not have to follow HIPAA or keep patients’ personal health information private. Often, CPCs are placed next to, or near an abortion provider with the goal of spreading misinformation and propaganda.