Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri Celebrates Today's Landmark Supreme Court Ruling

Kansas City – Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri (PPKM) celebrates with its partners at the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) and the independent abortion providers in Texas, today’s landmark Supreme Court victory. All who believe in fundamental human rights and the fullest access to sexual and reproductive health care have long known hospital admitting privileges and ambulatory surgical center (ASC) requirements under Texas’ HB2 were unconstitutional, politically motivated restrictions with no medical merit created by antichoice extremists to block people from accessing abortion services. PPKM faces identical restrictions in Missouri and Kansas, and will examine all legal avenues along with our partners to invalidate these unconstitutional and medically unnecessary laws that place an undue burden on patients seeking safe and legal abortion in our states.

“The Supreme Court cemented what we have always known – that admitting privileges and ASC requirements are medically unnecessary and their sole intent is to restrict access to abortion services, not to protect the health and safety of patients. Leading health organizations like the American Medical Association (AMA) and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) agree and vehemently oppose these regulations that have been a cornerstone of a slow and steady effort to chip away at a person’s right and ability to choose safe, legal abortion. PPKM will now look closely at our local laws and swiftly form a legal plan to work to overturn both restrictions in the state of Missouri and to ensure they never go into effect in Kansas,” Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri President and CEO, Laura McQuade said.

The Supreme Court concludes: “that neither of these provisions offers medical benefits sufficient to justify the burdens upon access that each imposes. Each places a substantial obstacle in the path of women seeking a previability abortion, each constitutes an undue burden on abortion access, Casey, supra, at 878 (plurality opinion), and each violates the Federal Constitution. Amdt. 14, §1.”

“PPKM will continue fighting these medically unnecessary laws until a person’s right to choose is equal to a person’s ability to access safe, legal abortion.”