By BARB WASINGER
111th District state representative
As the member of the Kansas House who proudly represents the people of the 111th District, I feel it is my responsibility to set the record straight regarding a recent column submitted by Rep. Don Hineman, R-Dighton, of the 118th District. The title read “Abortion debate in Kansas will continue.”
While I agree with the title, I strongly disagree with how my fellow representative characterizes his vote against the Value Them Both Amendment, which the state’s most influential pro-life organizations deem as the important of this generation. These organizations include the Catholic Bishop’s Conference, Family Policy Alliance of Kansas and Kansans for Life.
As readers may be aware, in 2015 a New York-based organization called the Center for Reproductive Rights worked to overturn one of our pro-life laws in state court. From there, the Kansas Supreme Court cleared the way for a nearly unlimited abortion industry. Now bans on late-term and taxpayer funded abortions will likely be struck down. Even notification laws for minors seeking abortion could be done away with and much more.
This is a serious situation and the only remedy is pass what is known as the Value Them Both Amendment to the Kansas Constitution. Passing such an amendment requires a 2/3rds majority in the Kansas House and Senate. From there, it must be placed before voters for approval.
Having passed through the Kansas Senate with over 2/3rd majority, the Kansas House took up the measurer on February 7th. While I was proud to protect life and the health of women with my vote, Representative Hineman was one of four Republicans to join Democrats in blocking the Value Them Both Amendment from going to voters.
His reason for leaving open the door to unlimited and unrestricted abortion was that the measure should go on November ballot, not August of 2020. The Associated Press indicated the concern with the amendment going on the August ballot is it might impact the election of certain politicians. This is the same argument made by abortion proponents who don’t want any restrictions on abortion, including the ability to terminate a life even after birth. Isn’t this an example of why so many people are disgusted with politics?
To think that some would put electoral considerations above protecting innocent human life is repugnant. It is also no secret that the abortion lobby put up the biggest opposition to holding the election in August because it gives Value Them Both Amendment the best chance of passing.
Representative Hineman’s column also argued that Constitutional Amendments should be decided by a “much larger population of Kansas voters.” If this were true, then one has to wonder why he supported the passage of a State Constitutional Amendment that ran in conjunction with municipal election in November of 2019? Overall turnout is at its lowest during these elections.
It is heartbreaking that countless women and babies will pay the price for political considerations and inconsistent voting records. I hope and pray the Representatives who voted to block the Value Them Both amendment will choose to be a champions for life and the safety of women the next time Value Them Both comes to a vote in the Kansas House.