As was mentioned in the March 2020 KFL Legislative Update posted on kfl.org, due to the coronavirus health crisis, the Kansas State Legislature’s primary focus became passing the budget so that legislators could return home. They completed that task on Thursday, March 19, and have adjourned until Monday, April 27.
Value Them Both Amendment
The abrupt end to the regular legislative session, along with the governor’s recent statewide “stay at home” order, has obviously had an impact on our efforts to pass the Value Them Both Amendment. Of course, Value Them Both remains our top legislative priority, and we are working hard to come up with different ways to proceed with the amendment.
The Value Them Both Amendment is of utmost importance because recent state court rulings have cleared the path to unlimited abortion in Kansas. Passing the amendment will protect the reasonable regulations the state has placed on the abortion industry, including parent’s rights to be involved in their minor daughter’s abortion decision, minimum health and safety standards for abortion facilities, informed consent for women considering abortion, and no taxpayer-funding of abortion.
The KFL legislative team is staying in touch with legislative leadership in order to develop a path forward for Value Them Both when the legislature returns in late April. This includes making sure all legislators know that, in order to prevent taxpayer-funded abortions, it is critical that the Value Them Both Amendment be passed prior to any expansion of Medicaid.
Abortion Industry Open for Business During Health Crisis
Kansans for Life has also been very concerned about the fact that the abortion facilities in Kansas are still open and performing elective abortions, while other elective medical procedures are being postponed in order to limit possible exposure to the coronavirus.
At Trust Women in Wichita, for example, all of the abortionists they employ travel in from out-of-state. Trust Women is also actively encouraging women from throughout Kansas and the country to come to Wichita for their abortions. This is medically irresponsible behavior, as it puts patients, employees, and the public at greater risk of contracting the coronavirus. Plus, abortion facilities are using personal protective equipment that is in short supply and needed by medical professionals trying to fight the virus.
Recently, the Sedgwick County Commission voted to send a letter to Governor Laura Kelly, Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Dr. Lee Norman, and Sedgwick County Chief Health Officer Dr. Garold Minns, asking them to stop elective abortions in Kansas during the pandemic. Other state legislative leaders have expressed concerns about this situation, as well.
Abortion and Telemedicine
The abortion industry is also trying to use the current health crisis as a reason to push for telemedicine abortions. Nationally, abortion activists are trying to get the Food and Drug Administration to change the protocol for abortions by pills and allow women to self-abort at home. Here in Kansas, telemedicine abortions are prohibited. While Governor Kelly issued an executive order directing the Kansas Department of Health and Environment not to enforce certain regulations on telemedicine, the order did not apply to abortion statutes. (Note that KFL’s Legislative Team took steps to ensure the Governor’s order referenced the ban on telemedicine abortions.)
Pro-life Educational Initiative from KFL
During this time of “social distancing,” KFL will be setting up free educational programs using the Zoom videoconferencing platform. The programs will focus on a number of topics, including the latest information on the Value Them Both Amendment. Watch for updates on this exciting initiative soon.