(RepublicanPress.org) – In June 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, leaving the issue of abortion rights up to individual states. Some regions left the decision up to elected representatives, while others allowed voters to chime in on the issue directly. In August 2022, Kansas placed a proposal on a state ballot that would alter its constitution. The measure would have declared that abortion was not a protected right. Voters rejected the move. But anti-abortion groups were not done fighting about the issue in Kansas.
On April 27, The Hill reported that the state’s legislature overrode Governor Laura Kelly’s (D) veto “born alive” bill. The newly-passed law would impose criminal penalties against healthcare providers who don’t provide sufficient care to babies delivered alive during an abortion procedure. Professionals who don’t comply will face felony charges starting on July 1.
Kansas legislature overrides governor’s veto of abortion legislation https://t.co/TdTd7WZHNY pic.twitter.com/pFcgrQqh4S
— The Hill (@thehill) April 27, 2023
The HB 2313 override passed the Kansas legislature by a vote of 88 to 34. Pro-choice groups claim bills like these are just for show because healthcare providers are already obligated to give lifesaving care to infants born alive. Abortion rights advocates reportedly believe the law is designed to confuse doctors and patients and instill fear in hopes that both parties will shy away from abortions. State policy and advocacy director for the Center for Reproductive Rights, Elisabeth Smith, said the verbiage within these laws has no “real meaning.”
Anti-abortion supporters see the new law and others like it as a necessary victory. Many in that camp feel the move is just common sense. According to AP, Kansans for Life lobbyist Jeanne Gawdun applauded the measure, saying the legislature banned together to promote “compassion and basic human decency.” House Speaker Dan Hawkins called the vote a rebuke for the “most radical in the pro-abortion movement.”
Women in Kansas are currently allowed abortions up to 22 weeks of gestation, although some exceptions allow the procedure past that mark.
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