Under the bright lights of Planned Parenthood Great Plains’ newest health center, staff are busy cleaning exam tables in between patients.
The southeast Kansas clinic opened in August, making it the state’s third new abortion provider since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that prompted abortion bans in a host of nearby states. The facility brings reproductive health care, including abortions, to a largely rural region with few other options.
“I'm from a small town close to here,” said Makenzie Erker, a registered nurse at the clinic. “It’s really nice being able to provide these services to our community, especially because it's such a drive to go elsewhere.”
Pittsburg, a college town, sits just five miles from the Missouri border, 30 miles from Oklahoma and 80 from Arkansas. All three states enacted strict abortion restrictions in 2022.
Now, across the state line in Missouri, a two-and-a-half year long abortion ban is lifting after voters approved an amendment to the state’s constitution in November.
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