Today, in the face of blatant efforts to suppress the people’s voice, a broad coalition of organizations and individuals from across Kansas have defeated the so-called “Value Them Both” ballot initiative.
The greatest challenge we face now is the unknowns of the future — even in this moment of victory, we have no doubts that the Kansas state legislators will still attempt to enact policies that harm the people they purport to serve. No matter what the future brings, the Kansas Abortion Fund will continue to assist all Kansans in need of financial support to obtain abortion care.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, fourteen states have banned abortion, and more are expected to follow in the coming months. Kansas will not be among them. As one patient said in a recent Time Magazine article: “Kansas has been the hope for people like me.” And we will continue to be a source of hope for people from Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and beyond.
Now, we turn to the onerous restrictions that affect patients in Kansas, including: Mandated, state-directed counseling; a 24-hour waiting period; the prohibition of telemedicine to administer medication abortion; parental notification; an unnecessary ultrasound and more. These unjust laws, coupled with abortion stigma and deeply rooted health and economic inequities, mean that, for far too many Kansans, the ability to access an abortion is already based on their zip code and their income. The Kansas Abortion Fund is resolutely opposed to any barriers to accessing abortion, and is committed to building a future where everyone can control their bodies and their futures.
To the anti-abortion members of the Kansas state legislature: If you want to be pro-life, you must be pro-living. Expand access to Medicaid, raise the minimum wage, support teachers and students, make investments to reduce our state’s maternal and infant mortality rates, eliminate the hurdles people need to go through to get financial assistance, and make housing a human right. Reproductive Justice is the future — we’ll see you there.
