25 signatures reached
To: Governor Laura Kelly, the Kansas House of Representatives and Senate
Protect Abortion Access in Kansas by Executive Order
We won in the August 2nd Kansas vote--didn't need the campaign thank goodness!
August 2nd Vote for Kansas Constitutional Amendment
Kansas will be the first state since the overturn of Roe v. Wade that will ask the public to vote on the topic. On August 2nd 2022, an amendment is being proposed that would change Kansans’ rights to abortion under the state constitution, which effectively opens the door for restrictions or a total ban. According to one PBS article, "abortion access in Kansas, which allows for abortions up to 22 weeks of pregnancy, is currently protected by a state Supreme Court ruling from 2019 that determined the Kansas Bill of Rights ‘protects a woman's right to decide whether to continue a pregnancy.’”
(Source: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/kansas-will-be-the-first-state-to-vote-on-abortion-rights-after-roe-ruling-heres-what-that-meansr)
For Kansas voters, make sure you vote NO on this topic to protect Kansans' rights to abortion.
Leaving the topic up for a vote is not enough. Bodily autonomy is not something that should be voted on. What people do with our bodies is not up for debate. Abortion must be protected by Executive Order in Kansas.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly (D) must take action now to protect abortion access for Kansans and for those seeking abortion services from neighboring states. It is important to keep abortion in Kansas legal, by executive action. This will protect not only Kansans’ right to abortion, but for those fleeing nearby states as well. According to a July 6th, 2022 article from the Kansas City Star, "Missouri residents often traveled to Kansas, where a clinic in Overland Park offers the procedure. In 2021, for instance, 3,458 Missouri residents received abortions in Kansas — 44% of all abortions performed in Kansas that year.”
(Source: https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article262796208.html#storylink=cpy)
Kansas would not be the first state to do this. On July 6th 2022, Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado issued Executive Order D 2022 032, protecting the state's abortion providers and out-of-state patients.
The full text of the Colorado EO can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10zvLU35d47Y9DYmG0vFZzI7tJAlACXYg/view.
Also on July 6th 2022, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper issued Executive Order 263 protecting access to reproductive health care services not only for residents in North Carolina, but for those crossing state borders. The order does not change North Carolina’s law but ensures that North Carolina residents will maintain their bodily autonomy and have a protected right to access abortion services.
The full text of the North Carolina EO can be found here: https://governor.nc.gov/media/3298/open
Why is this important?
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) abused their power and overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that declared a federal constitutional right to an abortion, despite recent polls that suggest 85% of American voters believe the procedure should be legal in some or all circumstances.
(Source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/1576/abortion.aspx )
As of June 28, 2022, there are 13 states that have enacted trigger bans—bans or laws that were prepared well before the decision was made on June 24, 2022 that would further restrict or ban altogether the constitutional right to abortion. These states include Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri, with Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt signing the state's trigger ban law only minutes after the SCOTUS decision, which prohibits most abortions, even in the cases of rape or incest.
The full text of the AG opinion letter can be found here: https://ago.mo.gov/docs/default-source/press-releases/22-2022.pdf?sfvrsn=39ffd2d_2
It does not stop there—for a person seeking the procedure, Missouri is the worst place to be in the country right now. Since the trigger ban went into effect, more far-right Republican lawmakers are introducing planned provisions to the law that are extreme and ludicrous. Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the 97th District, representing parts of Jefferson and St. Louis Counties, has put forth a provision that copies the legal strategy behind the Texas law that would allow private citizens to sue "anyone who helps a Missouri resident obtain an abortion out of State."
(Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/08/missouri-abortion-ban-texas-supreme-court/)