By Trish Svoboda

Last Thursday, the Supreme Court unanimously preserved access to the medication mifepristone, which was used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S. last year. The justices determined that abortion opponents lacked the legal standing to challenge the FDA’s actions to ease access to the medication, leaving room for potential future legal challenges. Following this decision, Kobach and attorneys general from two other Midwestern states immediately vowed to continue their legal challenge against mifepristone.

In Kansas, voters protected abortion rights by rejecting an anti-choice constitutional amendment in August 2022. In addition, a Kansas judge ruled that healthcare providers could prescribe medication abortions, such as mifepristone, via telemedicine. Despite this ruling and the overwhelming pro-choice outcome of the special election, Kansas state lawmakers continue to propose legislation to ban the medication and further restrict access to reproductive healthcare.