Abhortion · State legal snapshot
Constitutionally protected; 22-week limit. Kansas protects abortion as a fundamental state constitutional right and generally permits it through 22 weeks from LMP, with post-viability limits…
§ I · Gestational limit
│ Protected to 22 weeks LMP; viability limit applies · measured from LMP · Hodes & Nauser, MDs v. Schmidt, 309 Kan. 610, 440 P.3d 461 (2019)
§ II · Restriction inventory — 15 checked, 9 in force
◐22-week ban · LMPIn force
◐1 in-person visitIn force
◐Method ban · D&XIn force
◐Physician-only lawIn force
✓Two-parent consentIn force
●Telehealth prescribing banNone
◐24-hour waiting periodIn force
●Spousal consent or noticeNone
●Abortion trafficking lawNone
◐Scripted counselingIn force
●Civil bounty (SB8-style)None
✓Private insurance restrictionIn force
◐Ultrasound offerOffer only
●Pill-mailing banNone
●Self-managed abortion crimeNone
§ III · Access
Criminal exposure
Procedure
Coverage & interstate
Available now
Yes
Pregnant person
Expressly exempt
Waiting period
24 hours
Medicaid
Hyde only
Medication · telehealth
Regulated separately · telehealth allowed
Self-managed
Not a crime
Compelled visits
1 in person
Private insurance
Restricted
Who may perform
Physicians only
Provider max penalty
Class A person misdemeanor (first);…
Minors
Two-parent consent
Shield state
No
Mailing pills
Not banned
Fetal homicide law
Yes · abortion carved out
Judicial bypass
Available
Major pending change
Yes · see p. 2
✓ Abolition-aligned — forbids abortion or imposes liability◐ Partial — a hurdle, an enjoined law, or a carve-out● No restriction○ Unclear or not applicable
§ IV · Why it is legal — governing authorities
Hodes & Nauser, MDs v. Schmidt (Hodes I), 309 Kan. 610, 440 P.3d 461 (2019) — Established that section 1 of the Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights protects a…
2024 ●Hodes & Nauser v. Kobach (D&E ban), 318 Kan. 940, 551 P.3d 37 (2024) — Permanently struck down the D&E dismemberment ban (SB 95) under the strict-scrutiny…
2024 ●Hodes & Nauser v. Stanek (TRAP laws), 318 Kan. 995, 551 P.3d 62 (2024) — Permanently struck down the abortion-facility licensure TRAP laws (K.S.A.
“Section 1 of the Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights protects a fundamental right to personal autonomy, which includes the right to decide whether to terminate a pregnancy.”— Hodes & Nauser, MDs v. Schmidt, 309 Kan. 610, 440 P.3d 461 (2019)
Fetal personhood — how the contradiction is walled off
✓ K.S.A. 65-6732(b)
“the laws of this state shall be interpreted and construed to acknowledge on behalf of the unborn child at every stage of development, all the rights, privileges and…”
Life begins at fertilization; subject to U.S. Constitution
→
● Exempt · pregnant woman
Expressly exempt from prosecution
● Carved out · abortion
Abortion is not chargeable under the homicide statutes.
✓ Reached · third parties
Fetal homicide at any stage; abortion exempt
Kansas law contains deep internal contradictions on fetal personhood. K.S.A. Wrongful death: Wrongful-death claim from fertilization.
§ V · Criminal exposure by actor
●
Pregnant woman
Expressly exempt from prosecution
✓
Physician
Misdemeanor/felony; license discipline
✓
Non-physician prescriber
APRNs barred; pharmacists face general…
●
Helpers · funds
No criminal exposure for assisting
●
Travel helpers
No travel-assistance criminalization
●
Civil bounty
No SB8-style civil bounty law
✓ the actor faces criminal or civil exposure under state law · ● no exposure · ○ unclear or theoretical
Penalties on the books — top 5
§ VI · How the law got here ● court ■ statute ◆ executive / agency
A Shawnee County District Court judge blocked enforcement of the in-person physician requirement for medication…
27 Apr 2023■The Kansas Legislature overrode Governor Laura Kelly's veto to enact HB 2264, requiring physicians to tell…
30 Oct 2023●Johnson County District Court Judge Christopher Jayaram issued a temporary injunction blocking enforcement of the…
1 Jul 2024■HB 2749 took effect, requiring providers to ask and report patients' reasons for seeking abortion and collect…
1 Jul 2024■The 2024 coercion-to-abortion law (HB 2436) took effect, making it a crime to coerce a pregnant woman into having an…
5 Jul 2024●The Kansas Supreme Court issued two landmark rulings: Hodes & Nauser v. Kobach (No.
22 Apr 2025●Aria Medical Clinic LLC and APRN Elyse Gilbert filed suit challenging Kansas's prohibition on APRNs prescribing…
17 Oct 2025●The two-week bench trial in Hodes & Nauser v. Kobach (No.
§ VII · Exceptions matrix
Named in law: ◐ the exception is written into the ban · ✓ no such exception · ● no ban for an exception to operate against. Verified (neutral): ✓ quoted text confirmed at source · ◐ semi-verified · ○ verify before publication · — not applicable.
§ VIII · Interstate & helpers
✓ No shield law
Not a shield state
● Travel unrestricted
Out-of-state travel not restricted
● Telehealth prescribing allowed
Telehealth permitted by injunction
● Pill mailing not banned
No standalone mail prohibition for pills
● Funding help protected
No liability for funding assistance
● Providing information
Information provision not criminalized
Interstate postureKansas has not enacted a shield law protecting its abortion providers or patients from out-of-state investigations or prosecutions; equally, it has not enacted hostile cross-border laws targeting…
§ IX · Who pays
Medicaid limited to Hyde: life only
Life
Hyde · federal
Rape
Hyde · federal
Incest
Hyde · federal
Beyond Hyde
Not covered
Private insurance restricted; riders required
ACA exchange plans barred from covering abortion
✓State defunds abortion providers
§ X · Pending changes status and effect as recorded — no forecast
Hodes & Nauser v. Kobach, No. 23CV03140 (Johnson County…Trial concluded October 17, 2025; post-trial briefing and final decision pending. Temporary injunction blocks…
A ruling for the plaintiffs could permanently strike down the 24-hour waiting period, the abortion-pill-reversal mandate, biased state-scripted counseling including…
LitigationAria Medical Clinic LLC v. Kansas Board of Nursing (Shawnee…Complaint filed April 22, 2025; state's motion to dismiss denied December 2025; discovery and merits briefing…
If successful, APRNs would be permitted to prescribe medication abortion, significantly expanding the pool of abortion providers in Kansas and potentially allowing…
LegislationSB 174 / HB 2171 — 'Abolish Abortion Kansas Act' (2025–2026…Introduced; referred to committees. Not expected to pass given the constitutional protection and Democratic…
If enacted (extremely unlikely), it would criminalize all abortion in Kansas, directly conflict with the Kansas Supreme Court's Hodes I strict-scrutiny holding, and…
LegislationSB 198 — Near-total abortion ban with private civil enforcement…Introduced; referred to committee. Extremely unlikely to pass.
Would prohibit abortion except to save the pregnant woman's life and create a private cause of action similar to the Texas SB 8 model. Symbolic legislation testing the…
§ XI · Key authorities ● case ■ statute ◆ agency
●Hodes & Nauser, MDs v. Schmidt (Hodes I) 309 Kan. 610, 440 P.3d 461 (2019)
●Hodes & Nauser v. Kobach (D&E ban) 318 Kan. 940, 551 P.3d 37 (2024)
●Hodes & Nauser v. Stanek (TRAP laws) 318 Kan. 995, 551 P.3d 62 (2024)
■Kansas definition and general provisions K.S.A. 65-6701
■Post-viability abortion restriction K.S.A. 65-6703
■Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act K.S.A. 65-6722 to 65-6724
■Informed consent and waiting period K.S.A. 65-6709
■Physician-only and medication in-person requirement K.S.A. 65-4a10
■Parental consent and judicial bypass K.S.A. 65-6705
■Fetal personhood declaration K.S.A. 65-6732
■Private insurance and exchange restriction K.S.A. 40-2,190
■State defunding of abortion K.S.A. 65-6733