Kansas passes abortion bill
April 25, 2013
The Kansas House of Representatives passed the bill stating life begins at conception. Similar forms of bills have passed in 13 other states, including North Dakota and Arkansas.
The bill passed in the House with resulting votes of 90-30, while the Senate passed the bill 28-10.
Critics think that the bill takes away the freedom women possess to do what they decide is best.
“This bill has too much of an underlying religious intent,” said Michelle Rooter, a woman’s rights activist.
“There is a thin line between trying to make a better impact on society and trying to impose your set of beliefs on society. Women, at the end of the day, should not have to fight everyone to make a decision that only she should have a voice in making.”
The bill also prohibits abortion providers from accessing public funds or tax breaks. Another one of its provisions requires doctors to provide material about fetal development to help pregnant woman while banning sex-selection abortions.
Kansas had to be careful while making the bill to make sure that it does not infract upon the Roe vs. Wade court case that happened 40 years ago.
The decision made in Roe vs. Wade said that women have a right to obtain abortions in some circumstances, and that decision has been upheld while states are still allowed to impose restrictions.
“The issue of abortions has become more and more complex since imaging has made it possible to actually see the fetus at a very young age and it looks like a person,” said Steffen Schmidt, university professor of political science.
“The fetus has fingers, toes, a nose, eyes and starts to look very human. Before imaging technology people didn’t see a human until it was born.”
Dave Leach, a Des Moines anti-abortion activist, has publicly claimed that “’it will be a blessing to the babies’ if someone shoots the people who recently reopened a Kansas abortion clinic.”
His comments are being denounced by the leader of Iowa’s largest anti-abortion group who says such talk is immoral and hurts the cause.
Gov. Sam Brownback signed the anti-abortion bill into law this past Friday. Many of the provisions will be in effect as soon as July.
The last two years have resulted in at least a dozen other states restricting abortion processes and providers including Missouri.