The Quickie: Kansas Court Expands Abortion Access Through Telemedicine
For Immediate Release: Nov. 29, 2022
Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.
In today’s Quickie: Kansas court expands access to telemedicine abortion and storytellers discuss why they’re thankful for their abortions!
KANSAS COURT EXPANDS ABORTION ACCESS THROUGH TELEMEDICINE: Last week, a Shawnee County District Court judge overturned a 2011 Kansas law that prevented providers from offering abortion care through telemedicine. The 2019 case, filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights, argued that the law violated the Kansas Constitution’s abortion rights provision.
“This decision will further open up abortion care in Kansas at a time it’s urgently needed. In this post-Roe world, telemedicine can make the difference in being able to receive abortion care or not.” said Nancy Northup, President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, in a statement. “Today’s decision paves the way for Kansas abortion clinics to expand services to women in remote, underserved areas of Kansas. We will continue to fight telemedicine bans in states across the U.S. since it is a pivotal tool for the future of abortion care.”
"It shouldn’t be news when a medication that’s safer than many over-the-counter drugs is approved for more widespread use, but the reality is that safety and efficacy isn’t at the heart of this conversation about health care," Planned Parenthood Great Plains President and CEO Emily Wales said. "As other states further restrict care and violate citizens’ fundamental rights, Kansas remains a place that respects patients.”
The ruling comes as medication abortion and telemedicine in abortion care are under increasing attacks by anti-abortion groups, as reported by the Washington Post.
Read more at KSHB.
“THANKFUL FOR ABORTIONS”: Last week, The Nation featured storytellers from We Testify who discussed why they were thankful for the abortion care they received. The We Testify storytellers discussed the impact of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, the stigma for people who have had multiple abortions, and their advice for those who want to share their abortion stories.
“I was so grateful for the safe abortion care I was able to access that two weeks later I returned to that clinic and applied for a job,” Kenya Martin shared. “I told the hiring director at the clinic that I wanted to be ‘somebody’s person’—like the Black nurse that held my hand when I needed emergency care.”
“Unlearning the stigma takes time—but also empathy,” Savannah Williams said. “I am thankful for the empathy I have for myself and the empathy my loved ones have for me. I hope more people will open their hearts for people who are going through unintended pregnancies and abortions and realize, ‘yeah, that shit happens.’”
“Your abortion story is powerful and it has impact,” said Emma Hernández. “Storytelling has brought me closer to other people who had abortions, and that community has been healing. My story has also made a difference for others who were facing similar circumstances and decided abortion was right for them. During my first abortion, it would have meant the world to have seen myself represented in the media and to know that abortion wasn’t inherently shameful or isolating. Know that sharing your story changes the conversation, and makes the experience more manageable for the next generation.
Read the full feature at The Nation.