Reproductive Rights Advocates Call on Kansas Gov. Kelly to Veto Dangerous, Misleading Bills Attacking Abortion Rights and Gender-Affirming Care 

Despite Kansans’ resounding support for abortion rights, lawmakers swiftly passed bills late into the night and early morning that directly interfere with the patient-provider relationship; divert critical state funds to anti-abortion centers and programs  

Topeka, Kan. — Kansas lawmakers continued their attacks on reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy late last night and into the early morning with little transparency, by swiftly passing legislation that would force doctors to lie to patients, interfere with the provider-patient relationship, and ban minors from accessing gender-affirming care, among other misleading and dangerous bills. These bills come a little more than six months after Kansans overwhelmingly voted to protect abortion rights. 

Among the slate of anti-abortion laws is a bill (HB 2264) which would require providers to give patients information on medically inaccurate claims of “abortion pill reversal.” The protocol that anti-abortion activists call “reversal” has no basis in medicine and is not supported by scientific evidence. 

This legislation undermines the informed consent process and puts politicians between patients and providers. Leading reproductive health experts, including The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, do not endorse the practice of so-called “abortion pill reversal” because the claims are not in line with clinical best practices. 

In the final days of the regular legislative session, lawmakers also passed a host of anti-reproductive health bills including: 

• A so-called ‘born-alive’ bill (HB 2313), which spreads a false narrative about abortion, and stigmatizes essential reproductive health care. Providers already follow existing laws while offering the highest standards of care. The bill has no foundation in science and builds on decades-long attempts by anti-abortion extremists to stoke fear and punish patients and their doctors.
• Funding for the “Alternative to Abortions'' program was included in the budget and would divert critical state dollars to CPCs and other extreme anti-abortion programs. The money diverted should be used to provide low-income Kansans with assistance including food, shelter, and career advancement, not advance ideological agendas. 
• A ban (SB 26) on life-saving gender-affirming care for transgender youth under the age of 18,  which includes a range of approaches thoughtfully considered by trans patients, guardians, and doctors. It also allows civil suits to be brought against providers, along with the threat of the loss of a professional license. 

Statement from Emily Wales, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes:

“These extreme pieces of legislation spread inaccurate, irresponsible, and dangerous information that directly attacks evidence-based reproductive health care and the physicians trained to provide it. Not only are anti-abortion politicians continuing to ignore the will of Kansans – who spoke loud and clear last August – they’re doing so at the expense of their health and safety. Patients deserve medically accurate information, not state-mandated falsehoods when seeking essential health care. Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes stands with Kansas patients and providers against cruel attacks, and we call on Governor Kelly to veto all anti-abortion bills that push lies and misinformation to inflame extremists and stigmatize abortion.”

Statement form Alexis McGill Johnson, president, Planned Parenthood Action Fund:

“Kansans already made themselves clear: They do not want politicians meddling in their personal reproductive health decisions. Instead of listening, politicians are choosing to pass bills that fly in the face of voters’ will. These bills stigmatize abortion and gender-affirming care by spreading misinformation and wasting critical resources on extreme, anti-abortion programs. The legislation also shows little regard for patient health and safety, forcing providers to break patients’ trusts by relaying information grounded neither in truth nor science. Wecall on Gov. Kelly to swiftly veto these dangerous bills. 

Statement from Rebecca Tong, co-Executive Director, Trust Women:

“Kansas legislators have already forgotten the 2022 primary election. The vote in August was decisive, its implications clear as day: Kansans support our constitutional right to make private health care decisions for ourselves, without interference from extremist lawmakers. Any legislator supporting these anti-abortion bills is willingly disregarding the voices of their constituents. 

We call on all lawmakers in Topeka to affirm the results of the August primary election and put an end to the movement of all anti-abortion bills currently in the statehouse. No bill that restricts access to reproductive health care or promotes disinformation about abortions should make it past the governor’s desk this session.” 

As these bills head to the Governor’s desk, anti-abortion politicians are doubling down on their attacks on bodily autonomy, in direct opposition to the will of the majority of Kansans, who do not want further restrictions on care. 

Stigmatizing, restricting, and banning abortion does not reduce the need for abortion care. It simply creates added barriers that take a financial, physical, and emotional toll on patients and providers, and continues our country's legacy of discrimination as bans have the greatest impact on communities of color, young people, and rural communities. 

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Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes is an independent, nonpartisan 501(c)4 nonprofit organization that advocates for sexual and reproductive health and rights in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. We lobby state lawmakers, mobilize more than 120,000 grassroots supporters, and engage in issue education in order to protect and expand access to health care and comprehensive sex education in the communities we serve, and to promote Planned Parenthood’s mission. Learn more at PPGPvotes.org.

 

Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational, advocacy, and limited electoral activity, including grassroots organizing, legislative advocacy, and voter education.

Trust Women was founded in 2009 with the mission to open clinics that provide abortion care in underserved areas. The organization currently operates two reproductive health care clinics in Wichita, Kansas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Trust Women provides education, advocacy and community support across the region in support of expanded access to abortion care with a focus on reproductive justice. Learn more at trustwomen.org.