Kansas Abortion Numbers Hit Historic High in 2023, State Data Shows
The number of abortions performed in Kansas reached its highest level since record-keeping began in 1976. State health officials report 19,467 procedures in 2023, marking a more than 50% increase from the previous year’s 12,319 abortions.
The surge follows the August 2022 defeat of the Value Them Both amendment, which would have created protections for unborn children in the state constitution. Kansas voters rejected the amendment in what observers called a surprise landslide, making the state an abortion destination according to organizations like Kansans for Life.
Pro-life advocates expressed dismay at the increased numbers. “The surge of abortions in Kansas is a heartbreaking reminder of the abortion industry’s relentless targeting of vulnerable women who are no longer protected by enforceable informed consent laws or basic abortion facility inspection and safety standards,” said Danielle Underwood, Kansans for Life Director of Communications. “Anyone who says this is what Kansans voted for is a liar and on the wrong side of history.”
Since the vote, abortion facilities are expanding across the state, including in the college town of Pittsburgh. KFL says the statistics were delayed purposefully. “After more than six months of stonewalling, the Kelly/Toland Administration’s Department of Health and Environment has finally released 2023 abortion statistics for Kansas. It is worth noting that these statistics were intentionally held until after the election,” KFL said in a statement sent to Metro Voice on Friday.
Planned Parenthod contends the expansion of abortion is a plus.
“The community will benefit,” Emily Wales, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, speaking about a new facility in the Southeastern Kansas college town. The organization reports performing abortions on women from multiple states, including Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana. But that admission underscores the fears in the pro-life community.
KFL says the dramatic increase reflects Kansas’s rolestate following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which led to abortion bans in several neighboring states. According to state data, the majority of procedures — 69% — were performed for out-of-state residents.
Kansas Department of Health and Environment statistics show the rise in procedures has been accompanied by an increase in many consider dangerous medication abortions, which providers increasingly rely on under loosened protections in the states voting to enshrine abortion in their state constitutions.
The Kansas abortion landscape has evolved significantly since the Kansas Supreme Court’s 2019 decision establishing abortion as a constitutional right. Recent attempts to implement new restrictions have faced legal challenges, with the state Supreme Court consistently upholding abortion guarantees.
–Dwight Widaman
