Pro-lifers look to new legislators

In 2019, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled the state constitution provides a right to abortion, though the 150-year-old document does not mention the subject in any way. Jeanne Gawdun of Kansans for Life says the decision has done a lot of damage.

"What our state Supreme Court did is to basically say anything that the legislature passes regarding the issue of abortion was presumed unconstitutional on its face, and so all of the laws that we've passed over the last 30 years or so are presumed to be unconstitutional," Gawdun reports. "All of their legal foundation has been removed."

That means Kansas's abortion industry is unregulated.

In the last session, the state legislature narrowly failed to pass the Value Them Both amendment to resolve the situation.

"This year voters sent a historic number of pro-life legislators to join those who championed and voted for this bill last year, so we're confident that Value Them Both will be able to pass the legislature and get on the ballot for the people to have a voice," Gawdun relays.

In its simplest form, the proposal says the state does not require funding of abortion, and the document does not create or secure a right to abortion. If passed by voters, it would likely mean the pro-life laws on the books could be enforced.