WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) yesterday expressed his support to Kansas State Speaker of the House Ron Ryckman, Jr. (R-Olathe) and President of the Senate Ty Masterson (R-Andover) for their leadership in bringing the Value Them Both Amendment to a vote.

If passed by the Kansas State Legislature, Kansans would have the opportunity to vote on this amendment to the Kansas State Constitution which reaffirms there is no constitutional right to an abortion and the legislature can pass legislation to protect the unborn and their mothers.

“By passing the Value Them Both Amendment, Kansans will have the opportunity to correct the Kansas Supreme Court’s overreach,” wrote Sen. Moran. “Should they choose to do so, the prudent laws of our state that fall within the mainstream of the abortion debate will be safeguarded. The idea that Kansas could allow one of the most radical abortion regimes in our nation is almost too difficult to fathom.”

The full letter can be found here or below:

Dear Speaker Ryckman and President Masterson:

I write to express my appreciation for your leadership in bringing to a vote the Value Them Both Amendment. As you shepherd this amendment to the Kansas Constitution through the state legislature, I wish to share my strong support for allowing Kansans to have a direct say in how the lives of the unborn and their mothers are protected.

Nowhere in the state Constitution can a right to an abortion be found. The Kansas Supreme Court’s April 2019 decision that abortion is protected under the state Constitution was a shocking act of judicial activism that ignored the popular will of Kansans. In a single afternoon, laws that limited when an unborn child’s life could be terminated and set requirements for abortion providers – which passed by large majorities in both chambers – had been placed at risk of being overturned. This could lead to permitting abortions of healthy babies up to the moment of birth, including the use of gruesome procedures such as dismemberment of the child, or relaxing standards of health care required of abortion providers so that mothers receive proper care.

The Value Them Both Amendment is essential as it reaffirms there is no constitutional right to an abortion and that the legislature is the proper body to regulate the laws surrounding the practice. Yet the amendment is as practical as it is essential. It goes no further than ensuring the laws currently in place are safe from legal challenge under the state Constitution.

By passing the Value Them Both Amendment, Kansans will have the opportunity to correct the Kansas Supreme Court’s overreach. Should they choose to do so, the prudent laws of our state that fall within the mainstream of the abortion debate will be safeguarded. The idea that Kansas could allow one of the most radical abortion regimes in our nation is almost too difficult to fathom.

I thank you for your service to our state, and I affirm to you my own commitment to the pro-life cause in Washington. I wish you success in leading the amendment’s passage.     

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