Interest was high as pro-life people packed the room during testimony before a recent joint Kansas House and Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. The legislative committee focused on a Kansas Supreme Court decision, Hodes & Nauser v. Schmidt, where the high court struck down the Kansas ban on live dismemberment abortion. The pro-lifers presented testimony recommending a constitutional amendment to reverse the court’s ruling, which found the right to an abortion in the Kansas State Constitution.
Joe Patton
Planned Parenthood, opposing a constitutional amendment, testified in support of the high court decision interpreting Section One of the Kansas Bill of Rights to include abortion rights. Section One reads: “All men are possessed of equal and inalienable natural rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Planned Parenthood applauded the high court interpretative rewrite of Section One where the court said, “Section 1 of the Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights affords protection of the right of personal autonomy, which includes the ability to control one’s own body, to assert bodily integrity, and to exercise self-determination. This right allows a woman to make her own decisions regarding her body, health, family formation, and family life – decisions that can include whether to continue a pregnancy.” (Hodes & Nauser v. Schmidt slip opinion page 3). The case was before the high court on review of a Motion for Preliminary Injunction and will now proceed to a full trial before local district Judge Anderson.
During the question and answer period at the Judiciary committee hearing, pro-life State Representative Kellie Warren from Leawood pointed out the court ignored the interest of the preborn child and insisted that the Attorney General present evidence at the trial to show the state has an interest in protecting the life of a preborn child. The Attorney General representative explained that the state presented no evidence since the court was only dealing with a preliminary injunction. The abortionists, however, had presented evidence in the court case by way of affidavits saying the ban on live dismemberment abortion was an undue burden, which was accepted as fact in the case since the state had presented no evidence.
Brittany Jones, a lawyer and Director for the Family Policy Alliance of Kansas, testified at the legislative hearing that the court’s interpretation has implications beyond the abortion issue. “It is not a very big legal leap to say that this case could open the door for an absolute right to assisted suicide, recreational marijuana, gender transition surgeries paid for by the government and a host of other things.” Ms. Jones testified that our Kansas Supreme Court has completely unmoored itself from any sort of law, “It is paramount that the Kansas legislative body work to reverse this specific ruling by passing a constitutional Amendment to restore the rule of law to Kansas.”
In response to the court’s abortion decision actions, a group of pro-life women has started a new grassroots group called Save The Babies. You can find the group on Facebook at SaveTheBabies.Life, where they explain the court’s abortion decision, why you should be alarmed, and what you can do about it. You can get more information by texting SAVETHEBABIES to 22828.
The Bible and Public Schools