A Planned Parenthood affiliate in Kansas announced Tuesday it will begin offering telemedicine abortions in the state following a court ruling green-lighting the practice.
A judge blocked a state law in November that prohibited offering abortion pills virtually, overturning a 2011 law that required a doctor to be present in the room where an abortion was being induced. The ruling cleared the way for Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains (CHPPGP) to launch telemedicine abortion services in Kansas via its three health centers across the state.
“As of December 19, 2022, you may now receive medication abortion pills under a qualified physician’s supervision through a Telehealth appointment at any health center in Kansas that is operated by Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains,” the group’s website reads. (RELATED: Hollywood Is Depicting Abortion In Films At Record-High Rates, Study Says)
“Offering medication abortion through telehealth allows CHPPGP to meet the needs of more patients, in an even more timely manner, by greatly increasing the number of physicians available to deliver care,” Emily Wales, president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood affiliate, said in a press release.
Kansas remains a place that respects personal health care decisions. Which is why today, we are proud to announce the offering of medication abortion through telehealth at our three Kansas health centers. (1/3) https://t.co/TRKmDuiAPZ
— Planned Parenthood (@PPGreatPlains) December 20, 2022
Under the court’s new ruling, Kansas abortion clinics won’t need to fly doctors in to perform abortions as the clinics struggle with staffing shortages, the press release says.
“To compensate for provider shortages, CHPPGP has safely and effectively relied on fly-in physicians at its health centers when and where staffing a full-time physician has not been possible,” the press release reads. “With the Shawnee District Court ruling last month, this is no longer necessary to provide medication abortion, which is the most common method of terminating a pregnancy.”
The press release celebrates that the center can now provide abortions to women in states around Kansas that have stricter abortion laws, such as Missouri and Arkansas.
“With access to more doctors, more patients living in and around Kansas will be able to receive the care they need when they need it.”
Kansas voters overwhelmingly rejected an amendment that asserted there was no right to abortion in the state’s constitution in August, following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade.
Since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center, demand for abortion pills has skyrocketed. Women in states with more severe abortion restrictions have been turning to the pills at a higher rate.