Women choosing abortions in Kansas face longer wait times

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Jeanne Weber is a 27-year-old single mother of a 3-year-old. She is a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault. She has been homeless with an infant.

She recently made the decision to have an abortion and even posted about it on Facebook.

“I can’t take that risk. I need to prioritize the stability I have for my daughter,” said Webber.

Women like Webber who choose abortion are now faced with longer wait times and possibly travel as women turn to a handful of states for care.

Planned Parenthood of Great Plains explained some patients are scheduling appointments for abortion services three weeks out. Additional appointments become available if another physician is added to the schedule.

It’s something Webber experienced first-hand.

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“Just the stress of having to call over and over. And they checked availability here Wichita and Oklahoma City and they couldn’t find anything a week out,” said Webber.

Webber describes numerous phone calls and checking online as new appointments became available but were quickly filled.

“The appointments were filling up super quickly anytime they released new dates,” Webber said.

Some women have taken to Facebook- others quietly discuss the wait with their support systems. The option for medication abortion decreases as wait times increase. Something both sides in the abortion debate are trying to avoid.

The New York Times recently reported the same information regarding New Mexico and other states which are surrounded by states with abortion restrictions.

The NYT reported the average wait across the nation before Roe was overturned was five days. The wait time has slightly increased. But in clinics that border states with bans, wait times are sharply increasing.

Webber says her decision to have an abortion wasn’t a decision she took lightly, saying no one wants an abortion.

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“I’m not grateful that I made the choice but I’m grateful the choice was there,” Webber said.

Webber questions what’s ahead for women as Kansas voters head to the polls on August 2 to vote on the Value them Both Amendment:

“Explanatory statement. The Value Them Both Amendment would reserve to the people of Kansas, through their elected state legislators, the right to pass laws to regulate abortion because there is no Kansas constitutional right to abortion or to require the government funding of abortion.

“A vote for the Value Them Both Amendment would reserve to the people of Kansas, through their elected state legislators, the right to pass laws to regulate abortion because there is no Kansas constitutional right to abortion or to require the government funding of abortion.

“A vote against the Value Them Both Amendment would make no changes to the constitution of the state of Kansas and could prevent the people, through their elected state legislators, from regulating abortion in many circumstances. It would leave in place the newly discovered right to abortion first recognized in 2019.”

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