Kansas

Kansas Supreme Court strikes down GOP-backed abortion regulations

Published

2 years ago

July 5, 2024

Kansas Supreme Court strikes down GOP-backed abortion regulations

On Friday, the Kansas Supreme Court struck down a Republican-backed abortion second-trimester ban and affirmed that the state’s constitution protects abortion access, with one justice dissenting.

In two separate decisions released on Friday, the court ruled, “The Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights protects a fundamental right to personal autonomy, which includes a pregnant person’s right to terminate a pregnancy.” The Court also ruled against several state licensing requirements for abortion providers.

The decisions blocked enforcement of a 2015 law supported by Republican legislators that banned the common second-trimester abortion procedure of dilation and evacuation. The Court found that S.B. 95, known as Unborn Protection from Dismemberment Act, violates the Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights and “impairs the right to abortion.”

Newsweek reached out to the Kansas Republican Party for comment via email Friday afternoon. Newsweek reached out via text message to the Party’s chair, Mike Brown, on Friday afternoon.

Allie Utley, left, and Jae Moyer, center, of Overland Park, react during a primary watch party Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, at the Overland Park, Kansas Convention Center. Kansas’ highest court on Friday, July 5, 2024,…

Tammy Ljungblad/The Kansas City Star via AP

Kansas, a reliably conservative state for decades, has been at the center of national abortion debates in the past few years. In August 2022, just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs decision which eliminated the federal right to abortion, Kansans overwhelmingly rejected an amendment that sought to remove abortion protections from the state constitution. It was the first vote in the nation of its kind since Dobbs. The majority referenced the 2022 vote in their opinion, stating, “The people spoke with their votes.”

Abortion care advocates have applauded the decisions, such as the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), which filed one of the cases on behalf of an abortion care provider. Nancy Northup, CRR’s president and chief executive officer called the ruling an “immense victory for the health, safety, and dignity of people in Kansas and the entire Midwestern region, where millions have been cut off from abortion access.”

The statement highlighted that “The number of abortions provided in Kansas increased by 57% in 2022, with over two-thirds of patients traveling from out of state,” as reported by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. This reflects a broader trend of patients from states with more restrictive abortion laws seeking medical services in Kansas.

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Kansas has experienced a significant uptick in abortions, largely due to out-of-state patients, presumably from neighboring states with more restrictive abortion policies such as Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas.

The Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization that supports abortion rights, released a report last month that found abortion clinics increase by 50 percent between 2020 and 2023 in Kansas.

Newsweek reached out to the Americans United for Life for comment via email on Friday.

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Kansas

1 man dies after being shot June 9 in Kansas City, Missouri; police working to identify person of interest

Published

10 hours ago

June 20, 2026

Press Room

1 man dies after being shot June 9 in Kansas City, Missouri; police working to identify person of interest

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department is working to identify a person(s) of interest in a June 9 shooting that led to the death of one victim.

Police were called around 6 a.m. on June 9 to the area of Independence and Monroe avenues in Kansas City, Missouri.

Responding officers found an unresponsive man behind a residence in that area. He was transported to the hospital for life-threatening injuries, per KCPD.

Police were notified Friday night that the shooting victim died.

KCPD said Saturday “detectives have made headway identifying subject(s) of interest.”

Anyone with information on the incident is encouraged to call KCPD Homicide detectives directly at 816-234-5043 or the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline at 816-474-8477.

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If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.

Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.

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Kansas

1 man killed, 5 others wounded in mass shooting Friday night near East 19th and Vine streets in KCMO

Published

20 hours ago

June 20, 2026

Press Room

1 man killed, 5 others wounded in mass shooting Friday night near East 19th and Vine streets in KCMO

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One person was shot to death and five others were wounded by gunfire Friday night in the 18th and Vine Historic District in Kansas City, Missouri.

Police said officers were in the area of East 18th Street and Paseo about 10:30 p.m. when they heard gunshots.

The officers moved to East 19th Street between the Paseo and Vine Street to check for shooting victims, according to a police department news release.

They found one man who had been shot and was unresponsive, along with two women who had been shot.

The man was declared dead at the scene.

One of the women suffered serious gunshot wounds and the other woman suffered non life-threatening wounds, according to the police department news release.

Officers at the shooting scene were notified three more shooting victims from the same area had been taken to a hospital by a private vehicle.

An adult male and female were reported in stable condition late Friday, while a second adult male suffered critical gunshot wounds, according to police.

Police said their preliminary investigation revealed the victims were standing on 19th Street between Vine and Paseo when people began shooting in several directions.

All the shooting victims were hit by gunfire in that area, according to police.

No word on what led to the mass shooting and at least one murder.

This is a developing story and will be updated when new information is available.

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Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.

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Kansas

Where to watch St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals: TV channel, start time, streaming for June 19

Published

2 days ago

June 19, 2026

Press Room

Where to watch St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals: TV channel, start time, streaming for June 19

The 2026 MLB season has surpassed the quarter mark, and after each team’s first 40 games, there’s plenty of reasons to tune in all summer long.

Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami has already proven doubters wrong by launching 17 home runs, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes consistently looks like the best version of himself on the mound and Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski is throwing harder than any starter in the majors.

The MLB action continues on Friday as the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Kansas City Royals.

Here’s everything you need to know to tune in for the first pitch.

See USA TODAY’s sortable MLB schedule to filter by team or division.