TOPEKA — A regional director of the Value Them Both Coalition told a meeting of Reno County Republicans last month that the organization has legislation ready to ban abortion in Kansas if voters pass a constitutional amendment on Aug. 2.
A state senator also told the crowd he wants to pass laws “like my goal is that life begins at conception.”
The expressed intention to ban abortion is in direct contrast to the public statements of supporters of the constitutional amendment, who have repeatedly insisted that the August 2nd vote is not to ban abortion. The comments support the fears of those working to reject the amendment.
“We’re glad that a representative from Value Them Both was finally honest and forthright about their true goal of completely banning abortion in Kansas,” said Ashley Ohl, spokeswoman for Kansans for Constitutional Freedom, which opposes the amendment. “We now have confirmation — from their own campaign staff and legislative leaders — that if this amendment passes, the Kansas Legislature will move quickly to pass the most extreme abortion ban possible.”
In its 2019 decision, the Kansas Supreme Court said the state’s right to bodily autonomy includes the decision to terminate a pregnancy. Passage of the Value Them Both amendment would overturn the Supreme Court’s ruling and give the legislature unlimited power to enact restrictions on reproductive rights — or outright bans on abortion, with no exceptions.
Comments from the June 14 meeting in Haven were captured on audio obtained by the Kansas Reflector.
In the audio, Lori Chrisman identified herself to the crowd as the 18-county regional director for the Cherish Them Both coalition.
“I’m in charge of getting out the vote, knocking on doors and making phone calls, working on grassroots initiatives on the issue,” Chrisman said.
An unidentified man in the audience then asks if anyone can explain what happens when a constitutional amendment passes.
“We have one ready – HB2746 – so we’re going to move it up,” Chrisman said.
“It’s there,” she added, “but it hasn’t been voted on yet or anything.”
The bill she referred to was introduced last session by Congressman Trevor Jacobs, R-Fort Scott. The legislation would criminalize all abortions from the moment of fertilization until birth. The crime rate would be the same as murder. There are exceptions for miscarriages, stillbirths and ectopic pregnancies, but not for rape, incest or saving a mother’s life.
Mackenzie Haddix, deputy spokeswoman for the Value Them Both coalition, said Chrisman is no longer with the organization and does not speak for the coalition.
The proposed constitutional amendment, Haddix said, “is not a ban on abortion.”
Daniel Underwood, a spokesman for Kansans for Life, said the organization had nothing to do with drafting HB2746 and that the legislation had nothing to do with a constitutional amendment. She did not respond to a question about whether Kansans for Life would support the bill if the amendment passes.
During the meeting, Sen. Karyn Tyson, a Republican from Parker who is running for state treasurer, clarified that the bill would have to be reintroduced next year because all the bills died when the session ended in May.
Sen. Mark Steffen, R-Hutchinson, said the state Supreme Court “hijacked the abortion issue” with its decision in 2019. After the amendment passes, he said, the Legislature can act.
“We will be able to create further laws, further refinement, with my purpose of life beginning at conception,” Steffen said.
His comments were met with thunderous applause.
The meeting took place 10 days before the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, leaving each state to determine its own abortion rules. Because the Kansas Supreme Court decision was based on the state constitution, abortion remains legal in Kansas.
Republican lawmakers and leaders of the Value Them Both coalition, which includes Kansans for Life and faith groups, have been careful to avoid saying what legislation they intend to pursue if the amendment passes. Instead, they’ve focused their messaging on preserving restrictions in state law that could be challenged under the 2019 ruling. It’s unclear which restrictions, if any, would be deemed illegal.
Restrictions currently in place include a ban on abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy, except when the mother’s health is seriously at risk. Taxpayers’ money can only be used in cases involving rape or incest, or to save the mother’s life.
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