Kris Kobach was an out-of-touch anti-abortion extremist who attacked Kansas’ abortion access and called for passing more anti-abortion laws.
In 2026, Kobach claimed Kansas was the “abortion capital of the midwest.” He also claimed the Kansas Supreme Court “invented an invisible right to an abortion” and previously said it would be a “mistake” for the Kansas Supreme Court to rule on an “unwritten right to an abortion in Kansas.”
In 2023, Kobach asked the Kansas Supreme Court to reconsider Kansas’ fundamental right to abortion after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, but the Kansas Supreme Court affirmed the right in 2024, which Kobach called “disappointing.” Kansans were expected to vote on a constitutional amendment in the August 2026 ballot over the judicial selection of Kansas Supreme Court justices. In 2022, Kobach proposed placing the initiative to have Kansans elect judges in order to “slowly and quietly” place anti-abortion judges and ultimately overturn the right to abortion in Kansas.
Kobach repeatedly threatened Kansans’ access to abortion medication. In 2026, Kobach signed a letter to the EPA calling for the classification of mifepristone as a water contaminant despite his efforts to decrease water contaminant regulation. Even though Kobach claimed at-home abortion medication was unsafe and a water contaminant, experts noted at-home medication abortions were safe for the patient and water supply. In 2023, Kobach blasted Walgreens for planning to distribute mifepristone nationally, resulting in Walgreens saying they would not distribute or mail the abortion-inducing medication in Kansas. Kobach also signed onto a legal brief in support of a lawsuit seeking to block FDA approval for mifepristone to effectively ban abortion medication nationwide. He also filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reject the FDA’s approval of abortion-inducing pills by mail.
Kobach defended extreme anti-abortion laws in court, including Kansas’ ban on a second-trimester procedure and additional licensing requirements for abortion clinics.
2026: Kobach Claimed Kansas Was The “Abortion Capital Of The Midwest” And Attacked Courts For Allowing Abortion Access In Kansas. According to the Kansas Reflector, “The rally’s speakers took aim at a modern ‘culture of death,’ in the words of Senate President Ty Masterson, and blamed courts for abortion being allowed in Kansas, as Attorney General Kris Kobach said. ‘Kansas has really become, unfortunately, the abortion capital of the Midwest,’ Kobach said. ‘So how did we get there?’” [Kansas Reflector, 1/28/26]
2026: Kobach Claimed The Kansas Supreme Court “Invented An Invisible Right To Abortion In The Kansas Constitution” In 2019, Further Alleging The Court “Twisted The Meaning” Of The Constitution. According to the Kansas Reflector, “Then Kobach pointed across the street at the Kansas Supreme Court building. ‘As you may know, a few years ago, the court invented an invisible right to abortion in the Kansas Constitution,’ he said. In 2019, the Kansas Supreme Court decided the Kansas Constitution’s right to bodily autonomy includes terminating a pregnancy. A few years later, almost 60% of Kansas voters who participated in the August 2022 primary election rejected an anti-abortion ballot measure. The Supreme Court in 2024 affirmed its earlier decision and struck down a state law that banned the most common second-trimester abortion procedure. Kobach said the Kansas Supreme Court ‘twisted the meaning’ of the state constitution, creating an uphill fight to defend anti-abortion laws in court.” [Kansas Reflector, 1/28/26]
2018: Kobach Said It Would Be A “Mistake” For The Kansas Supreme Court To Rule On An “Unwritten Right To An Abortion In Kansas” And Called For Passing More Anti-Abortion Laws. According to Kris Kobach on KSNT (NBC), “ANCHOR: Kobach said if the court rules in favor of the state. He'd like to see more pro-life laws passed, but wasn't specific as to what those laws would entail. KOBACH: If the Supreme Court doesn't make that mistake of creating an unwritten right to an abortion in Kansas, then I would continue. For legislation, pro-life legislation, as we've seen over the past few years that has strengthened the pro-life cause in Kansas.” [Kris Kobach – KSNT (NBC), 8/4/18] (VIDEO)
2024: After Kobach Defended Anti-Abortion Laws, The Kansas Supreme Court Affirmed Abortion Protections In Kansas’ Constitution, Which Kobach Called “Disappointing.” According to the New York Times, “The Kansas Supreme Court reaffirmed abortion protections in the state’s Constitution on Friday, striking down Republican-backed laws that banned a common second-trimester abortion procedure and created additional licensing requirements for abortion clinics. […] Attorney General Kris W. Kobach, a Republican whose office defended the laws in court, said in a statement that ‘the decision is as disappointing as it is unsurprising’ and criticized the justices for finding that the State Constitution included a right to abortion.” [New York Times, 7/5/24]
2023: Kobach Asked The Kansas Supreme Court To Reconsider A Landmark Decision Protecting Access To Abortion Due To The Overturning Of Roe V. Wade. According to the Associated Press, “Kansas’ anti-abortion Republican attorney general is asking the state’s highest court to reconsider a landmark decision protecting access to abortion months after a decisive statewide vote affirming abortion rights. Attorney General Kris Kobach said Wednesday that one reason for the Kansas Supreme Court to reconsider its 2019 ruling is the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June overturning Roe v. Wade and declaring that the U.S. Constitution doesn’t grant a right to abortion access. The Kansas court is set to consider that issue and others in two abortion cases on Jan. 30, though Kobach said he is likely to ask for a few weeks’ delay because he took office only Monday.” [Associated Press, 1/11/23]
2022: Kobach Proposed Passing A Ballot Initiative To Change The State Supreme Court’s Judicial Selection, Arguing Electing Justices To The Court Would Allow Kansas To “Slowly And Quietly” Place Anti-Abortion Judges And Ultimately Overturn The 2019 Decision That Found The Right To Abortion In Kansas. According to the Kansas City-Star, "The high-stakes choice in Kansas comes more than a year after the Republican-controlled Legislature placed a constitutional amendment on the ballot asking voters if they want to directly elect the state Supreme Court's seven justices. Much of the messaging surrounding the issue has centered on whether voters should insert partisan politics into the judiciary. Supporters say voters should have a direct say in how justices are chosen, while opponents warn it would politicize the court and result in bitter, money-fueled judicial races. Abortion, however, is also at the core of the debate. The proposed amendment would open a door for Republicans to assemble a new, anti-abortion majority on the court after the 2019 decision that protected reproductive rights. It marks another tool for Republicans to ban abortion after voters in 2022 struck down a measure that would have overturned the 2019 decision by giving lawmakers the power to further restrict or ban the procedure As he mounted a Republican campaign for attorney general in 2022, Kris Kobach made the connection between elected justices and banning abortion explicitly clear. Kobach, in an appearance at the Wichita Pachyderm Club , called on lawmakers to put forward a ballot measure that would directly elect Supreme Court justices. That change, Kobach said at the time, would allow the state to 'slowly and quietly' place anti-abortion judges on the court with the ultimate goal of overturning the 2019 Hodes decision that found the state constitution includes the right to an abortion. 'The fight for life is going to continue,' Kobach said during the appearance." [Kansas City-Star, 7/9/26]
2022: Kobach Called On The Legislature To Pass A Ballot Initiative To Elect Judges And “Slowly and Quietly” Elect Anti-Abortion Judges After Kansans Defeated An Anti-Abortion Ballot Measure. According to the New York Times, "Abortion opponents hoped that putting the measure on the ballot in the summer, when historically turnout is lower, would smooth its passage. Instead, voters outraged by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe six weeks earlier defeated the measure by an 18-percentage-point margin. Mr. Kobach, then running for attorney general, called for the legislature to put an amendment on the ballot to elect judges, telling anti-abortion activists it was the best path to ‘slowly and quietly’ affirm justices who would overturn the 2019 ruling, allowing a ban the legislature had passed to go into effect." [New York Times, 7/11/26]
2026: Kansans Were Expected To Vote On A Constitutional Amendment On The August 2026 Ballot On Whether They Should Directly Elect Kansas Supreme Court Justices. According to the Kansas City-Star, "The high-stakes choice in Kansas comes more than a year after the Republican-controlled Legislature placed a constitutional amendment on the ballot asking voters if they want to directly elect the state Supreme Court's seven justices. Much of the messaging surrounding the issue has centered on whether voters should insert partisan politics into the judiciary. Supporters say voters should have a direct say in how justices are chosen, while opponents warn it would politicize the court and result in bitter, money-fueled judicial races. Abortion, however, is also at the core of the debate.” [Kansas City-Star, 7/9/26]
HEADLINE: "After Fighting Clean Water Rules, Kansas Attorney General Argues Abortion Pill Is A Contaminate" [Kansas Reflector, 6/17/26]
June 2026: Kobach Called For The Classification Of Mifepristone As A Water Contaminant In A Letter To The EPA Despite His Efforts To Decrease Water Contaminant Regulation. According to the Kansas Reflector, "Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach called for the classification of mifepristone, an abortion medication, as a water contaminant in a June 5 letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency despite his past efforts to decrease water contaminant regulation. Mifepristone is a part of a two-drug prescription regimen to terminate a pregnancy through 10 weeks. It is safe, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The letter, signed by 14 Republican state attorneys general, including Kobach, said after mifepristone is ingested and processed through women’s bodies, the drug’s chemical compounds contaminate the water supply. Kansas Reflector talked to Kobach’s spokeswoman by phone and followed up by text but did not receive a comment." [Kansas Reflector, 6/17/26]
June 2026: Kobach Joined Republican Attorneys General And Republican Congressional Members To Ask The EPA To Classify Abortion Medication Mifepristone As A Water Contaminant. According to Stateline, "Republican attorneys general from 14 states and 19 GOP members of Congress are asking U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin to classify and regulate the abortion medication mifepristone as a water contaminant. Mifepristone is prescribed as part of a two-drug medication regimen to terminate a pregnancy. Studies have shown medication abortion to be safe and effective. In a letter last Friday, the state officials argued that mifepristone is ‘a growing threat to the country’s waterways.’ The letter was signed by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas." [Stateline, 6/12/26]
Despite Kobach’s Claims That At-Home Abortion Medication Was Unsafe And A Water Contaminant, Experts Noted At-Home Medication Abortions Were Safe For The Patient And Water Supply. According to the Kansas Reflector, "Janice Powers treats her hormonal disorder with the abortion pill that Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and attorneys general from other states want to regulate as a water contaminant. Mifepristone, a medication researchers have found to be safe and effective, is commonly prescribed as part of a two-pill regimen to terminate a first-trimester pregnancy. It also can treat other conditions. [...] Mifepristone is used to treat Cushing’s syndrome and unresolved miscarriages. And, despite claims by Kobach and others, experts say at-home medication abortions are safe for the patient and the water supply. An endocrinologist, a type of physician specializing in hormonal disorders, prescribed Powers mifepristone in October. Since then, she said, she has successfully managed her diabetes, lost weight and has had more energy to garden her flowers." [Kansas Reflector, 6/26/26]
The Anti-Abortion Students For Life Praised Kobach For Signing Onto A Letter To The EPA Over “Abortion Water Pollution" And The Federal Government’s Failure To Enforce The Comstock Act. According to a press release from Students For Life, "Students for Life of America (SFLA) President Kristan Hawkins praised the 14 State Attorneys General who signed onto a letter sent to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) led by Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway. The letter adds new voices to a growing coalition, built by SFLA, calling for accountability and information about the extent of abortion water pollution, permitted by negligent FDA polices and the failure of the Trump Administration to enforce the Comstock Act that says abortifacients cannot be delivered in the mail. After meeting with the EPA, SFLA championed a movement-wide effort to require that abortion water pollution, specifically mifepristone, be monitored through a revamped ‘Safe Drinking Water Act,’ which is designed to monitor and protect crystal clear drinking water. An EPA comment period about a ‘contaminants of concern’ tracking list just closed, with Trump Administration officials now needing to evaluate the concerns raised. The Missouri AG is joined on the letter by: Alabama AG Steve Marshall, Alaska AG Cori Mills, Arkansas AG Tim Griffin, Florida AG James Uthmeier, Idaho AG Raul Labrador, Indiana AG Todd Rokita, Kansas AG Kris Kobach, Kentucky AG Russell Coleman, Louisiana AG Liz Murrill, Nebraska AG Mike Hilgers, Oklahoma AG Gentner Drummond, South Carolina AG Alan Wilson, and Texas AG Ken Paxton." [Press Release – Students For Life, 6/10/26]
The Anti-Abortion Kansans For Life Agreed With Kobach’s Concerns Over Abortion Medication As A Water Contaminant, Calling For A Full Governmental Review Over Abortion Chemicals’ Potential Dangers Despite No Evidence Of Harm. According to the Kansas Reflector, "Mackenzie Ayers, a spokeswoman for anti-abortion organization Kansans for Life, agreed with Kobach’s concerns. ‘Everyone who drinks water should expect and demand full governmental review and transparency about potential dangers abortion chemicals pose to the environment and all of us,’ she said in an email. Experts have said there is no evidence that mifepristone harms water or the environment." [Kansas Reflector, 6/17/26]
The Anti-Abortion Focus On The Family Supported Kobach’s Letter To The EPA, Saying Americans “Deserve To Understand The Full Consequences Of Drugs Designed To End Human Life.” According to the Daily Citizen by Focus on the Family, "Earlier this month, a coalition of 14 attorneys general wrote a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asking it to add the abortion pill, mifepristone and its generics, to a list of water contaminants that need further investigation of potential harmful health effects on pregnant women. For many pro-life Americans, the request raises an obvious question: Why hasn’t this been studied before? Mifepristone is the first medication in a two-drug regimen used to induce a chemical abortion. It works by blocking progesterone, the hormone needed for a baby to grow in the womb. Without progesterone, the baby starves to death. The second medication, misoprostol, causes the uterus to expel the dead baby. [...] The letter was authored by Missouri Attorney General (AG) Catherine Hanaway and is joined by: Alabama AG Steve Marshall, Alaska AG Cori Mills, Arkansas AG Tim Griffin, Florida AG James Uthmeier, Idaho AG Raul Labrador, Indiana AG Todd Rokita, Kansas AG Kris Kobach, Kentucky AG Russell Coleman, Louisiana AG Liz Murrill, Nebraska AG Mike Hilgers, Oklahoma AG Gentner Drummond, South Carolina AG Alan Wilson and Texas AG Ken Paxton. The campaign is led by Students for Life Action. Americans deserve to understand the full consequences of drugs designed to end human life. Asking questions, gathering facts and following the evidence wherever it leads should be an effort embraced by all people of goodwill." [Daily Citizen By Focus On The Family, 6/16/26]
2023: Walgreens Said They Would Not Distribute Or Mail The Abortion Drug Mifepristone In Kansas After Kobach Blasted The Company For Planning To Distribute Mifepristone Nationally. According to the Topeka Capital-Journal, “Walgreens officials are not planning to distribute the abortion drug mifepristone in Kansas, Attorney General Kris Kobach said Monday, weeks after Kobach sent a letter to the pharmacy giant blasting their move to distribute the pill in pharmacies nationally. In the original Feb. 6 letter, Kobach said he would ‘not hesitate’ to enforce Kansas law in opposition to the company's plans, though the law he cited is currently on pause pending a court challenge. In the company's response, Walgreens' executive vice president and chief legal officer Danielle Gray said Walgreens ‘does not intend to dispense Mifepristone within your state and does not intend to ship Mifepristone into your state from any of our pharmacies.’ ‘If this approach changes, we will be sure to notify you,’ Gray wrote in the Feb. 17 letter, leaving open the possibility that a change in Kansas' law regarding telemedicine abortions could change Walgreens' posture.” [Topeka Capital-Journal, 2/20/23]
2023: Kobach Signed Onto A Legal Brief In Support Of A Lawsuit Seeking To Block FDA Approval For Mifepristone. According to the Topeka Capital-Journal, “Abortion pills are becoming a national point of contention after the U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade last summer. Kobach signed onto a legal brief supporting a Texas lawsuit, filed by abortion opponents, seeking to block FDA approval for mifepristone. In Kansas, a majority of abortions are induced with the drug and that is set to only expand after Planned Parenthood began offering telemedicine abortions in the state last year.” [Topeka Capital-Journal, 2/20/23]
2023: Kobach Filed An Amicus Brief Urging The U.S. Supreme Court To Reject The FDA’s Approval Of Abortion-Inducing Pills By Mail. According to WIBW, “Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach today joins a coalition of attorneys general urging U.S. Supreme Court to reiterate people’s right to regulate abortion. Attorney General Kobach announced he filed an amicus brief, along with 20 other attorneys general, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reject the FDA’s attempt to push a national mail-order abortion regime in violation of federal law, state laws, and the Court’s Dobbs opinion. ‘The law is absolutely clear that the mailing of abortion pills is illegal. That law must be enforced,’ Kobach said.” [WIBW, 4/18/23]
2024: Kobach Defended Republican-Backed Laws That Prohibited A Second-Trimester Abortion Procedure And Imposed Additional Licensing Requirements For Abortion Providers. According to the New York Times, “The Kansas Supreme Court reaffirmed abortion protections in the state’s Constitution on Friday, striking down Republican-backed laws that banned a common second-trimester abortion procedure and created additional licensing requirements for abortion clinics. […] Attorney General Kris W. Kobach, a Republican whose office defended the laws in court, said in a statement that ‘the decision is as disappointing as it is unsurprising’ and criticized the justices for finding that the State Constitution included a right to abortion.” [New York Times, 7/5/24]
2018: Kobach Said It Would Be A “Mistake” For The Kansas Supreme Court To Rule On An “Unwritten Right To An Abortion In Kansas” And Called For Passing More Anti-Abortion Laws. According to Kris Kobach on KSNT (NBC), “ANCHOR: Kobach said if the court rules in favor of the state. He'd like to see more pro-life laws passed, but wasn't specific as to what those laws would entail. KOBACH: If the Supreme Court doesn't make that mistake of creating an unwritten right to an abortion in Kansas, then I would continue. For legislation, pro-life legislation, as we've seen over the past few years that has strengthened the pro-life cause in Kansas.” [Kris Kobach – KSNT (NBC), 8/4/18] (VIDEO)