Dear Friends,
The legislature is wrapping up the 2019 session. Both chambers adjourned early Sunday morning though they will come back for the official close of their session in a few weeks. This session has had it shares of disappointments and victories.
As you may know already, the House narrowly failed to override the Governor’s veto of Abortion Pill Reversal on Thursday. The Senate passed the override first thing Wednesday morning, but the House failed to finish the job. Each time the bill was voted on previously, it had passed with a veto-proof majority. But six representatives who had previously voted for the bill flipped their votes.
While this is a huge disappointment for us, we will not stop fighting for laws that protect women and their babies. We are already preparing for other opportunities to protect life in Kansas. We urge you to thank the legislators who consistently stood for life this session. You can see how your representative voted here. (While this link for SB 67 states that the bill deals with insurance, it did become the abortion pill reversal bill in the final days of the session.)
We may not have won this particular battle, but we are working to ensure that we win the war. Our culture as a whole is more pro-life than it has been in decades. States all around the country are passing good pro-life laws that fight for mothers and their children. It is even more vital now that we pass a constitutional amendment to protect life.
Another promising sign in the arena of life is that we were able to stop Medicaid Expansion. What many people don’t know is that the new Kansas Supreme Court ruling opened the door for your tax dollars to be used to fund abortions through Medicaid. We have to ensure that does not happen.
Further, as the last discussion early Sunday morning in response to the Supreme Court’s decision on life, Senator Ty Masterson made a motion to bring a resolution to the Senate floor that will change the way our Supreme Court justices are chosen. Changing our judicial selection process will help rein in our activist Supreme Court over time. The vote on this motion will be held when the legislature comes back in a couple of weeks.
Overall, I am not discouraged. I see many signs of hope. We have to continue to stay engaged on these important issues. In due time, I pray, we will reap the rewards.
Standing for life,
Brittany Jones, Esq.
Director of Advocacy