Abortion Laws

Kansas State Facts About Abortion According to the Guttmacher Institute:

National Background and Context

Each year, a broad cross section of U.S. women obtain abortions. As of 2014, some 60% of women having abortions were in their 20s; 59% had one or more children; 86% were unmarried; 75% were economically disadvantaged; and 62% reported a religious affiliation.[1] No racial or ethnic group made up a majority: Some 39% of women obtaining abortions were white, 28% were black, 25% were Hispanic and 9% were of other racial or ethnic backgrounds.[1]

Contraceptive use is a key predictor of whether a woman will have an abortion. In 2011, the very small group of American women who were at risk of experiencing an unintended pregnancy but were not using contraceptives accounted for the majority of abortions.[2] Many of these women did not think they would get pregnant or had concerns about contraceptive methods.[2] A minority of abortions occured among the much larger group of women who were using contraceptives in the month they became pregnant. Many women who fall into this category have reported difficulty using contraceptives consistently.[3]

Since 2010, the U.S. abortion landscape has grown increasingly restrictive. Between 2010 and 2016, states enacted 338 new abortion restrictions, which account for nearly 30% of the 1,142 abortion restrictions enacted by states since the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade.

Pregnancies and Their Outcomes

• In 2011, the 63 million U.S. women of reproductive age (15–44) had six million pregnancies. Sixty-seven percent of these pregnancies resulted in live births and 18% in abortions; the remaining 15% ended in miscarriage.[6]
• Approximately 926,200 abortions occurred in the United States in 2014. The resulting abortion rate of 14.6 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age represents a 14% decrease from the 2011 rate of 16.9 per 1,000 women.[7]
• In 2014, some 7,240 abortions were provided in Kansas, though not all abortions that occurred in Kansas were provided to state residents, as some patients may have traveled from other states; likewise, some individuals from Kansas may have traveled to another state for an abortion. There was a 4% increase in the abortion rate in Kansas between 2011 and 2014, from 12.5 to 12.9 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age. Abortions in Kansas represent 0.8% of all abortions in the United States.[7]

Where Women Obtain Abortions

• In 2014, there were 1,671 facilities providing abortion in the United States, representing a 3% decrease from the 1,720 facilities in 2011. Sixteen percent of facilities in 2014 were abortion clinics (i.e., clinics where more than half of all patient visits were for abortion), 31% were nonspecialized clinics, 38% were hospitals and 15% were private physicians' offices. Fifty-nine percent of all abortions were provided at abortion clinics, 36% at nonspecialized clinics, 4% at hospitals and 1% at physicians' offices.[7]
• There were 4 abortion-providing facilities in Kansas in 2014, and 4 of those were clinics. These numbers represent a 33% increase since 2011 in overall providers, and a 33% increase in clinics from 2011, when there were 3 abortion providers overall, of which 3 were clinics.[7]
• In 2014, 90% of U.S. counties had no clinics providing abortions. Some 39% of women of reproductive age lived in those counties and would have had to travel elsewhere to obtain an abortion.[7] Of patients obtaining abortions in 2008, one-third had to travel more than 25 miles one way to reach a facility.[8]
• In 2014, some 97% of Kansas counties had no clinics that provided abortions, and 56% of Kansas women lived in those counties.[7]

Restrictions on Abortion

In Kansas, the following restrictions on abortion were in effect as of May 1, 2018 according to the Guttmacher Institute:

• A woman must receive state-directed counseling that includes information designed to discourage her from having an abortion, and then wait 24 hours before the procedure is provided.
• Private insurance policies cover abortion only in cases of life endangerment, unless individuals purchase an optional rider at an additional cost.
• Health plans offered in the state’s health exchange under the Affordable Care Act can only cover abortion if the woman's life is endangered.
• Abortion is covered in insurance policies for public employees only in cases of life endangerment.
• The use of telemedicine to administer medication abortion is prohibited.
• The parents of a minor must consent before an abortion is provided.
• Public funding is available for abortion only in cases of life endangerment, rape or incest.
• A woman must undergo an ultrasound before obtaining an abortion; the provider must offer her the option to view the image.
• The state prohibits abortions performed for the purpose of sex selection.