‘MEET THE MOMENT’

Planned Parenthood Kicks Off Telemedicine Abortions in Kansas

Kansas became a stronghold for abortion access in the center of the country after voters overwhelmingly chose to retain the right in their state constitution.

Patients seeking an abortion at one of Kansas’ Planned Parenthood clinics were able to begin teleconferencing with off-site doctors this week, the organization’s Great Plains branch announced Tuesday. The expanded access to medication abortions comes less than a month after a Kansas judge blocked the state’s ability to enforce a ban on the procedures, but well after voters overwhelmingly chose to reject an amendment that would have stripped abortion rights from the state constitution in August. “This is a win not only for Kansans but for patients in surrounding states traveling for care, who have suffered as politicians prioritized scoring points over the rights of patients,” Emily Wales, president and CEO of Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, said in a statement. “We are proud to meet the moment by offering health care to all, regardless of where they live.” Wales told the Associated Press that Planned Parenthood’s Wichita clinic began offering the procedure on Monday, while the goal was to establish similar access at the two Kansas-side clinics in the Kansas City area “in short order.”