With stronger majority, KS Republicans reintroduce amendment restricting abortion
Kansas Republicans reintroduced a constitutional amendment Tuesday that would allow the state legislature to impose restrictions on abortion.
The amendment, which if approved would go before voters on a statewide ballot, narrowly failed in the House of Representatives last year. It was designed to preempt a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision that found the personal right to autonomy extends to a woman’s decision to end a pregnancy.
Lawmakers and supporters of the “Value them Both” amendment say Kansas voters made their opinions clear last year when they elected more conservative Republicans to the statehouse.
The name of the amendment refers to restrictions to protect pregnant women and the unborn. Opponents, however, say it could lead to unnecessary regulations or even a total ban on abortion.
The amendment fell short of the required two-thirds majority in 2020 when four moderate House Republicans opposed its placement on the primary ballot rather than the general election ballot, which draws heavier voter turnout. They have since been unseated.
In a news conference Tuesday, several lawmakers joined Kansans for Life, the Family Policy Alliance of Kansas, the Kansas Catholic Conference and Concerned Women for America of Kansas to announce that the amendment would be reintroduced this year.
Brittany Jones, Director of Advocacy for the Family Policy Alliance of Kansas, said the measure would once again be aimed toward the primary ballot, and now has the votes it needs to pass.
The 2019 Supreme Court ruling, she said, removed the voters voices from the abortion discussion in Kansas.
“Kansans should have an opportunity to have their voices heard again so that their voices can be heard on this very important issue of preserving safeguards for women who are involved in the industry,” Sen. Kellie Warren, a Republican from Leawood, said.
Warren introduced the bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which she chairs, in a meeting later Tuesday.
Rep. Susan Humphries, a Republican from Wichita, said the measure would serve to protect “reasonable safeguards” previously passed by the legislature, such as the 24-hour waiting period and required parental consent.
“Value Them Both is common sense, it is compassionate and it allows for oversight of this industry,” Humphries said.
Opponents warned that if Roe v. Wade is ever overturned the state amendment could lead to a complete ban on abortions in Kansas.
Recent changes on the U.S. Supreme Court, including the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, have heightened concerns that federal protections on reproductive rights could be stuck down.
Rachel Sweet, regional director of public policy and organizing for Planned Parenthood Great Plains, said that medically necessary regulations on abortion are allowed in Kansas already.
“Their goal is to pass more and more medically unnecessary restrictions that make it harder for people to access care,” she said.
Jones, with the Family Policy Alliance, said she would not speculate on whether the amendment would cause lawmakers to seek additional restrictions on abortion in the future.
“The Kansas legislature is very pro life and they want to do all they can to protect women and babies,” she said.
This story was originally published January 12, 2021 at 12:06 PM with the headline "With stronger majority, KS Republicans reintroduce amendment restricting abortion."
