According to a Kansas Department of Health and Environment report, the majority of abortion patients in the state were not even Kansas residents.
Kansas had 19,500 abortions in 2023, up 58% from 12,300 in 2022, according to the state’s 2023 Annual Summary of Vital Statistics.
Texas residents accounted for the highest proportion of these procedures, with approximately 7,600 receiving abortions in the Sunflower State. They account for 39% of people who had an abortion in 2023.
“The report reflects what we’ve seen and shared since the Dobbs decision: patients from states that have denied access to critical, life-saving care continue to rely on Kansas as an entry point during a national crisis,” said Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, in a news release.
The Guttmacher Institute reported that over 35,000 Texans traveled to another state to have an abortion in 2023. The majority of these patients were treated in New Mexico, with Kansas receiving the second highest number.
Kansas was the first state to hold an abortion access referendum, with 60% of voters voting to keep the procedure legal in the state.
After the Kansas state legislature passed House Bill 2749 in 2024, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly attempted to veto the measure. The bill would require biannual reports on all abortions performed in the state, as well as questions about why patients sought abortions, with exceptions for medical emergencies.
However, the legislature overrode Kelly’s veto and signed the bill into law.
“There is no valid medical reason to force a woman to disclose to the legislature if they have been a victim of abuse, rape, or incest prior to obtaining an abortion,” Kelly wrote in the veto letter. “There is also no valid reason to force a woman to disclose to the legislature why she is seeking an abortion.”
