Press Releases

On the first anniversary of the United States Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe V. Wade – eliminating fifty years of federal protection for the right to safe, legal abortion – Planned Parenthood Great Plains (PPGP) persists as a regional care provider. Over the past year, PPGP has worked to protect and expand access in Kansas to meet an overwhelming demand, while fighting for patients in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma who have been stripped of a fundamental right to control their health care.

June 23, 2023 • Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma

Today, Kansas abortion providers filed a lawsuit in state court challenging several onerous, harmful restrictions. These laws make abortion care harder to access by creating delays and forcing providers to relay inaccurate, misleading information that threatens patients’ health and undermines medical ethics. One such restriction—scheduled to take effect July 1—forces providers to falsely tell their patients that a medication abortion can be “reversed,” an unproven claim not based on medicine or science. That law was enacted by state legislators soon after the Governor vetoed the measure and eight months after Kansans overwhelmingly rejected efforts to eliminate the fundamental right to abortion under the state constitution. 

June 6, 2023 • Kansas

Today, the Oklahoma Supreme Court struck down two citizen-enforced abortion bans mirroring Texas’ S.B. 8. The two copycat bans were passed in 2022 before Roe v. Wade was overturned. While abortion remains largely unavailable in Oklahoma and the state’s pre-Roe ban remains in effect, today’s ruling ensures that Oklahoma's vigilante bans cannot hold doctors back from providing life-saving care.

May 31, 2023 • Oklahoma

Today, a Missouri court again blocked Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s unprecedented use of an emergency rule to prohibit gender-affirming care for people of all ages. The court in its ruling found there is an immediate and real risk of harm if the rule were to go into effect – both to patients needing care and providers who offer these critical services. This comes just days after the court ordered a temporary stay of the egregious regulations only hours before the rule would have prevented many Missourians from accessing life-saving care.

May 1, 2023 • Missouri

Hours before Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s unprecedented use of an emergency rule to prohibit gender-affirming care for people of all ages was set to take effect, a state judge temporarily blocked the egregious regulations. In response to today’s ruling, Planned Parenthood Great Plains (PPGP) will be able to continue providing life-saving gender-affirming care at its Missouri health centers without interruption until a ruling is issued on May 1.

April 26, 2023 • Missouri

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay on lower court rulings that attempted to block the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of Mifepristone, meaning access to the medication will remain in place throughout the country including Planned Parenthood Great Plains’ (PPGP) Kansas health centers. The decision comes after the Supreme Court granted a temporary stay last week.

April 22, 2023 • Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court weighed in on the ruling out of a Texas Federal Court last week that blocked the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of Mifepristone, one of two medications commonly used in medication abortion care. The Supreme Court granted an administrative stay, meaning neither the Texas court nor the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decisions are in effect until at least Wednesday, April 19.

April 14, 2023 • Kansas

Today, in a major setback for abortion access since the overruling of Roe v. Wade, a federal court in Texas blocked the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of Mifepristone, one of two medications commonly used in medication abortion care in the United States. First approved more than 20 years ago, this decision, if allowed to go into effect, would make Mifepristone unavailable to patients across the country, despite its safety record. Although abortion is illegal in Texas, the court’s ruling would block Mifepristone’s use even in states with legal abortion.

April 8, 2023 • Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma

Today, the Oklahoma Supreme Court recognized the state constitution protects the right to abortion in life-threatening situations but nonetheless upheld the state’s “pre-Roe” ban. Today’s decision means most Oklahomans will still not be able to access abortion care, a blow to the entire region. In May 2022, Oklahoma became the first state to ban abortion entirely.

March 21, 2023 • Oklahoma