Kansas Lawmakers Unveil Pro-Life Constitutional Amendment to Undo the Court’s Absurd ‘Right to Abortion’ Decision
Less than a year after the Kansas Supreme Court declared in a 6-1 decision in Hodes & Nauser v. Schmidt that the state’s 150-plus-year-old constitution established a fundamental right to abortion, a coalition of pro-life organizations and legislators today announced efforts to undo the court’s decision by amending the Kansas Constitution.
At a Thursday morning press conference, Senate President Susan Wagle, Reps. Susan Humphries and Susan Concannon, and other members of the Kansas Legislature joined representatives from Family Policy Alliance of Kansas, Concerned Women for America of Kansas, Kansas Catholic Conference, and Kansans for Life to unveil the text of the proposed “Value Them Both” constitutional amendment designed to override the Hodes & Nauser decision.
The two-sentenced proposed amendment is simple in structure and meaning:
Because Kansans value both women and children, the constitution of the state of Kansas does not require government funding of abortion and does not create or secure a right to abortion. To the extent permitted by the United States Constitution, the people through their elected state representatives and state senators may pass laws regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, in circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest or when necessary to save the life of the mother.
For this amendment to take effect, both the Kansas Senate and House must approve the proposed constitutional amendment by two-thirds majority, at which point it will be placed on the ballot for voters to decide on passage based on a majority vote. Whether the amendment will appear on the August primary ballot or the general election ballot in November 2020 will be up to the legislature. (Read more from “Kansas Lawmakers Unveil Pro-Life Constitutional Amendment to Undo the Court’s Absurd ‘Right to Abortion’ Decision” HERE)
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