February 2020 Legislative Update

The VALUE THEM BOTH Constitutional Amendment was introduced in response to a 2019 Kansas State Supreme Court decision that basically removed from our elected state senators and representatives the right to legislate on the abortion issue, that is, removed their right to regulate abortion at all. The ruling was the result of a lawsuit filed in opposition to a Kansas live dismemberment abortion ban passed by huge bi-partisan votes in the Kansas House and Senate (and signed by Gov. Brownback.)

The only way to fix it is to amend the Kansas state constitution. That takes a two-thirds majority in the Kansas House and Senate to approve a public ballot on the issue in this year’s August primary election. Luckily, it does not need the approval of our current pro-abortion governor.

The Kansas Senate voted in January and passed the VALUE THEM BOTH Amendment 28 to 12, which was one more than the two-thirds vote needed.

However, on February 7 in the Kansas House, 84 votes were needed to get to two-thirds and protect Kansas women and their babies  from unlimited, unregulated abortion. All the house got was 80.

Eight representatives, who call themselves pro-life, stood in the way of allowing Kansas citizens to vote on the VALUE THEM BOTH Constitutional Amendment in August where only a simple majority is needed for it to pass.

Just four of these eight representatives are needed to ensure Kansas voters can vote to rescue our laws, including the very laws that have caused abortion rates to go down 50% in Kansas for the past two decades. These laws have protected women and babies from the radical, unchecked abortion industry. Instead, these four representatives chose to play politics.

The following politicians sided with the radical agenda of the abortion industry:

Don Hineman (R-Dighton)               785.296.7384        Don.Hineman@house.ks.gov
Tom Phillips (R-Manhattan)             785.296.7402       Tom.Phillips@house.ks.gov
Bill Pannbacker (R-Washington)      785.296.7637       Bill.Pannbacker@house.ks.gov
Jan Kessinger (R-Leawood/OP)        785.296.7436        Jan.Kessinger@house.ks.gov
Jeff Pittman (D-Leavenworth)          785.296.7522        Jeff.Pittman@house.ks.gov
Tim Hodge (D-Newton)                    785.296.2361       Tim.Hodge@house.ks.gov
Kathy Wolfe Moore (D-KC)              785.296.0424       Kathy.Wolfemoore@house.ks.gov
Monica Murnan (D-Pittsburg)         785.296.7426       Monica.Murnan@house.ks.gov

For a full listing of how representatives voted on February 7, please visit Kansas House Vote SCR 1613.
For a full listing of how senators voted on January 29, please visit Kansas Senate Vote SCR 1613.

These 8 MUST respect the views of Kansans and change course to support the VALUE THEM BOTH Amendment.

Please contact them and ask them to vote to put the VALUE THEM BOTH Amendment on the August ballot.

The excuse of wanting to place the VALUE THEM BOTH Amendment on the November ballot does not hold water. In November, the VALUE THEM BOTH Amendment is likely to be drowned out by expensive national races and national funding from Planned Parenthood. The vote must stay in August! 

The VALUE THEM BOTH Amendment needs to be approved before Medicaid Expansion. That is the only way to ensure there will not be taxpayer funded abortions.

This vote equals lives — It is too important to play politics!