Kansas Republicans overrode Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s veto on Monday of four anti abortion measures. Three bills will require doctors to collect and report information about the reasons why patients are getting abortions; make it illegal to force someone to get an abortion; and allow donors to receive tax credits.
[[{“value”:”On Monday, Kansas Republicans voted to override Democrat Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of four anti- abortion measures. The passage of three bills, which will require doctors to gather and report patient information about the reasons for their abortion, make it illegal for someone to have an abortion, and grant tax credits for donations to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers, will then become law. And a measure in the state budget reallocating$ 2 million to crisis pregnancy centers will moreover move forwards, despite the governor’s opposition.
Gov. Even though Kansans rejected a referendum to remove the right to abortion from the state constitution in August 2022, Kelly and another critics claim that the measures will contribute to an erosion of abortion rights. In other words, these bills attempt to stigmatize abortion further and further undermine the 59 percent of state voters who have previously backed abortion rights. And this is n’t the first time: Eight Kansas House Republicans introduced a bill earlier this year to forbid the distribution of drugs that end pregnancy, end abortions, and allow people to file lawsuits against doctors or anyone who assists someone get an abortion ( it ultimately died in committee ).
Gov.” By continually finding ways to raise the issue and attempt to subvert the will of Kansans,” These legislators, according to Kelly, do not represent the vast majority of the electorates, according to a statement released to Mother Jones.
Anti- abortion group Kansas for Life, if, called the four veto overrides “big wins”.
One of the bills that Republicans have approved this week, known as the “reasons bill,” will require patients to choose” the most significant factor” in their choice of an abortion from a list of 11 already-written options. Patients can decline to answer, and their responses will remain private. The state secretary of health and environment will then be required to submit the responses twice annually. Anti-abortion organizations like the Alliance Defending Freedom, Kansas Family Voice, and Kansas for Life are among the proponents of the bill, which they claim will provide valuable insights into what causes people to get abortions. But opponents, like Planned Parenthood, say the questions are unwanted and intrusive, and only serve to further stigmatize abortion. The University of California, San Francisco’s research claims that the most common reasons for seeking an abortion are” not being able to have a child, the pregnancy coming at the wrong time in life, and the man involved not being a suitable partner/parent.” They also claim that the questions are useless.
Gov. Kelly backed that bill because” there is also no legitimate reason for a woman to disclose to the legislature why she is seeking an abortion,” Kelly said in a statement. Rep. Ron Bryce, the initial sponsor of the bill, did not immediately respond to questions from Mother Jones Thursday afternoon.
Another bill makes” coercion to obtain an abortion” a crime punishable by a fine of up to$ 10,000 and up to a year in prison. It defines” coercion” as physical or financial threats to harm, abuse, or legal system threat. However, experts in Kansas who work in private and intimate violence treatment and prevention claim the bill is to narrow in scope and disregards more prevalent forms of reproductive coercion, including requiring someone to become or stay pregnant and preventing them from getting birth control. According to testimony given by Sapphire Garcia- Lies, senior director of the Kansas Birth Justice Society,” Ignoring these forms of coercion undermines the effectiveness of the legislation and leaves individuals susceptible to manipulation and control.”
Additionally, data shows coerced abortions are quite rare in Kansas ( and elsewhere ): A June 2023 report from the state Department of Health and Environment shows that less than 1 percent of the more than 12, 300 abortions in Kansas in 2022 involved reports of “physical, mental, or emotional abuse or neglect”. Kansas Republicans, though, just do n’t seem to care—because when Democratic lawmakers introduced two different amendments to broaden the bill’s focus to outlawing reproductive coercion, Republicans in both the House and Senate struck them down.
In their efforts to enact restrictions on abortion access, Republicans have also attempted to co-opt the concept of biological coercion before the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case. In addition, anti-abortion activists have written numerous briefs to the high court to spread myth and misinformation about why people get abortions.
Gov. Kelly said she was against the coercion bill because “it is now a crime to threaten violence against another person,” and that she worries that Kansans may be targeted for sexist stereotypes. Rep. Rebecca Schmoe, the lawmaker who formerly introduced the bill, did not respond to questions.
A bill providing a 70 percent state income tax credit for donations to anti-choice pregnancy centers and sales tax exemptions to the centers themselves are among the different measures Republicans rammed through after the governor’s vetoes. Additionally, the state budget passed a line item that would have re-allocated$ 2 million to CPCs. Anti- abortion crisis pregnancy centers are dedicated to discouraging abortion, usually with the help of volunteers—not medical professionals—who peddle misinformation. Gov. Kelly claimed in statements defending those vetoes that it is inappropriate for the state to divert taxpayer funds to mostly unregulated crisis pregnancy centers. Rep. Henry Helgerson, a Democrat who introduced the tax credit bill, and Sen. Jeff Longbine, a Republican who chairs the Financial Institutions and Insurance committee, did not immediately respond to questions about those measures.
Abortion is already authorized in Kansas through 22 weeks ‘ gestation. However, some obstacles remain: The state forbids the government from funding abortions, and minors must obtain parental or guardians ‘ consent before having abortions. The only thing that Republicans in the legislature seem hell bent on ignoring the rights that voters have vehemently desired may be the biggest obstacle of all.
Despite the negative effects of these bills, Micah Kubic, senior director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, stated to me this week,” This is a deliberate move to ignore the expressly stated will of the people.” These extremist lawmakers “remain out of step with the ordinary Kansans they serve” in their defiance of the demonstrably established straight to reproductive healthcare in our state constitution.”}]] On Monday, Kansas Republicans voted to override Political Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of four anti- abortion measures. Three bills will require doctors to gather and report information from patients about the reasons they are having abortions, make it illegal for them to force someone to have one, and grant them tax credits for making donations to charities.
Kansas Republicans overrode Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s veto on Monday of four anti abortion measures. Three bills will require doctors to collect and report information about the reasons why patients are getting abortions; make it illegal to force someone to get an abortion; and allow donors to receive tax credits.
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