Two Kansas nuns are opposing a proposed abortion amendment to the state constitution, despite support from their local archbishop. The nuns say the measure, if passed, would have negative consequences for women and allow politicians to “impose religious beliefs on all Kansas residents” by passing restrictive abortion bans.
In a letter obtained by Religion News Service and later published in the Kansas City Star, Sisters Angela Fitzpatrick and Michelle Morek, members of the Ursuline Sisters order, explained their intention to vote Tuesday against the proposed amendment, which, if passed, would amended the state constitution to remove the express right to abortion.
The sisters point out that abortion is already heavily regulated in Kansas and that a vote against the amendment does not remove the legislature’s power to enact abortion regulations. Instead, they argued, a vote against the measure would “make it less likely that the government mandate will control the health decisions of Kansas women.”
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The nuns also noted the fallout from abortion bans passed in other states after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling last month that overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case establishing abortion rights nationwide. If Kansas voters agree to amend the state constitution — which the state Supreme Court ruled in 2019 affirms the right to abortion — similar abortion bans could be passed in Kansas.
“A church sign says: ‘Jesus believed in women. So do we,” the nuns’ letter reads. “As religious Catholics, we support Pope Francis and the social justice teachings of our Church. We respect all people and value life. In other states, some doctors are afraid to offer life-saving procedures for ectopic pregnancies or incomplete miscarriages. A child rape victim was further traumatized by having to travel across state lines to receive health care.
The letter, which the sisters sent to various Kansas publications, doubled as a challenge to Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, who had been an outspoken advocate of the amendment. This month, Nauman published a letter in the Wichita Eagle in which he countered accusations by a local rabbi who argued that the amendment would allow Catholics and conservative Christians to impose their faith on others in the state — including American Jews who do not believe that life begins with conception.
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“From a Catholic perspective, abortion is not primarily a religious issue, but a fundamental human rights issue,” wrote Nauman, who previously chaired the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. “Our faith helps us understand the dignity of every human life created in the divine image as taught in the Hebrew scriptures, but reason alone is sufficient to know that it is wrong to destroy an innocent human life.”
But Sister Angela, a founding member of the Catholic social justice lobby known as the Network, and Sister Michele, who serves as a liaison to her fellow nuns for the Global Sisters Report, pointed to a lack of concern for those on the other side of an issue — and the need for the state to support those who choose to carry a pregnancy to term.
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If the amendment passes, “Topeka politicians could impose religious beliefs on all Kansas residents and make it harder for women to make decisions about their own health,” their letter begins. “Has the Legislature recently helped create a pro-life environment by providing better health care, parental leave, Medicaid and other supports for poor women — as well as day care and child support after childbirth?”
Representatives for Nauman and the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas did not respond to requests for comment.
— Religious News Service
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