Missouri Dems turn to Illinois, Kansas for abortion help

Aug 4, 2022, 2:16 PM | Updated: 2:54 pm

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A top Democratic state lawmaker from Republican-led Missouri on Wednesday wrote to the Democratic Illinois and Kansas governors asking for help paying for abortions for out-of-state Medicaid patients.

Missouri House Democratic Minority Leader Crystal Quade called on Illinois and Kansas to apply for Medicaid waivers to cover abortions for out-of-state patients.

Her request came after Democratic President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday aimed in part at making it easier for women seeking abortions to travel between states to obtain access to the procedure.

The directives will allow states that have not outlawed abortion to apply for Medicaid waivers that would help them treat women who’ve traveled from out of state.

The waivers only apply in cases of rape, incest and medical emergencies.

“Though these exceptions are narrow, we believe that this executive order is still meaningful for Missouri patients who are experiencing a life-threatening healthcare situation or whose pregnancy was forced by the violence of rape or incest,” Quade wrote in a letter to Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and Kansas legislative leaders.

Spokespeople for Kelly and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker did not immediately respond to Associated Press requests for comment on the federal waiver and Quade’s request.

Kansas has yet to expand its Medicaid program in line with the federal Affordable Care Act because of the strong opposition of Republican leaders to former Democratic President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy. Because Kansas doesn’t allow citizens to initiate ballot questions, that decision has stood, even though many lawmakers and advocates contend it’s widely unpopular.

Crossing state lines to get abortions has become an increasing issue since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door for new restrictions on abortion at the state level.

The National Abortion Federation said Wednesday that it’s seen more women asking for help traveling to get the procedure in the month after the decision. The organization paid for 76 hotel rooms and booked 52 bus or plane trips, up from only a handful in the same time period last year.

Missouri outlawed abortion minutes after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. The only exception is to save the life of the mother.

Abortion is legal in neighboring Illinois as well as Kansas, where voters on Tuesday opted to keep the right to abortions enshrined in the state’s Constitution. Kansas voters rejected a ballot measure that would have allowed the Republican-controlled Legislature to tighten abortion restrictions or ban the procedure outright.

Missouri Democrats have sought to take advantage of abortion access just across state lines.

St. Louis’ Democratic Mayor Tishaura Jones last month signed a measure providing $1 million for travel to abortion clinics in other states, prompting Republican Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt to sue.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Haitian migrant Gerson Solay, 28, carries his daughter, Bianca, as he and his family cross into Can...
Associated Press

US, Canada to end loophole that allows asylum-seekers to move between countries

President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced a plan to close a loophole to an immigration agreement.
2 days ago
Expert skateboarder Di'Orr Greenwood, an artist born and raised in the Navajo Nation in Arizona and...
Associated Press

Indigenous skateboard art featured on new stamps unveiled at Phoenix skate park

The Postal Service unveiled the “Art of the Skateboard" stamps at a Phoenix skate park, featuring designs from Indigenous artists.
2 days ago
(Facebook Photo/City of San Luis, Arizona)...
Associated Press

San Luis authorities receive complaints about 911 calls going across border

Authorities in San Luis say they are receiving more complaints about 911 calls mistakenly going across the border.
8 days ago
(Pexels Photo)...
Associated Press

Daylight saving time begins in most of US this weekend

No time change is observed in Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.
16 days ago
Mexican army soldiers prepare a search mission for four U.S. citizens kidnapped by gunmen in Matamo...
Associated Press

How the 4 abducted Americans in Mexico were located

The anonymous tip that led Mexican authorities to a remote shack where four abducted Americans were held described armed men and blindfolds.
16 days ago
Tom Brundy points to a newly built irrigation canal on one of the fields at his farm Tuesday, Feb. ...
Associated Press

Southwest farmers reluctant to idle farmland to save water

There is a growing sense that fallowing will have to be part of the solution to the increasingly desperate drought in the West.
23 days ago

Sponsored Articles

(Photo: OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center)...

Here’s what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

It's fair to say that most people know what obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders generally are, but there's a lot more information than meets the eye about a mental health diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.
(Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona Photo)...
Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona

5 common causes for chronic neck pain

Neck pain can debilitate one’s daily routine, yet 80% of people experience it in their lives and 20%-50% deal with it annually.
(Photo via MLB's Arizona Fall League / Twitter)...
Arizona Fall League

Top prospects to watch at this year’s Arizona Fall League

One of the most exciting elements of the MLB offseason is the Arizona Fall League, which began its 30th season Monday.
Missouri Dems turn to Illinois, Kansas for abortion help