Kansans For Life


	2008-04-21 Pr Rel: KS Gov Vetoes CARA--KFL Reaction PRESS RELEASE April 21, 2008 Kansas Governor Vetoes a Very Reasonable Abortion Bill with Very Unreasonable Excuses Attribute all to: Mary kay Culp, State Executive Director, Kansans for Life 913-406-4446 Governor Sebelius has vetoed a very reasonable bill with very unreasonable excuses. First, SHE did nothing to reduce the number of abortions in Kansas. Quite the opposite is true. Attempts to enforce the Kansas abortion law have reduced abortions--something she has fought every step of the way. She line-item vetoed an existing pregnancy maintenance bill and only signed it a few years later after the funds were cut in half, and at a time she was trying to insure that her veto of the clinic licensing bill would not be overridden. The truth is that she vetoed this reasonable abortion bill because she is unreasonably indebted to the Kansas abortion industry. Sebelius gave all kinds of false excuses, but the real question Sebelius must answer is why she would veto a law which simply gives women more information when considering abortion, allows them to see their baby on ultrasound if they so request, attempts to avoid coerced abortions of sexually abused minors, and in no way prevents a legal, non-coerced abortion from taking place. The Governor is grasping at thin air in her claim that the bill could be unconstitutional. This bill would simply give standing in rare circumstances to certain individuals trying to stop an illegal late-term abortion. Since Kansas law, and the U.S. Supreme Court mandate a life-of-the-mother exception in abortion laws, no judge would or could interfere in such a situation. In the ten years Kansas has kept such statistics, not one abortionist, not even Kansas notorious late-term abortionist George Tiller, has claimed that even one of the nearly three thousand abortions done on late-term viable babies in this state, has been done to prevent the death of the woman. Every single one of the Governor's points in her veto message is false, and unfortunately, I cannot help but believe, purposely so. Below is Governor's Veto Message and Rep. Lance Kinzer's Reaction. -30- GOVERNOR'S VETO MESSAGE: Veto Message for House Substitute for Senate Bill 389 Over the last several years, we have worked on lowering abortion rates in Kansas by focusing on adoption incentives, extended health services for pregnant women, providing sex education and offering a variety of support services for families. Those efforts are having a positive impact; recently we learned that the abortion rate in Kansas continues to go down. For years, the people of Kansas have asked their elected officials to move beyond legislative debates on issues like abortion and focus their attention on issues that can be solved in the Statehouse - stronger schools, affordable health care and economic growth. Kansans are proud of the progress we’ve made lowering the abortion rate and lifting our economy. It's time for legislators to recognize that progress and focus on the things that continue to move us forward. I am concerned about a number of provisions in SB 389. The United States Supreme Court decisions make clear that any law regulating abortion must contain exceptions for pregnancies which endanger the woman’s life or health. However, SB 389 allows a variety of individuals to seek a court order preventing a woman from obtaining an abortion, even where it may be necessary to save her life. I am concerned that the bill is likely unconstitutional or even worse, endangers the lives of women. The bill contains unprecedented expansions of legal proceedings which would likely encourage extensive litigation and also unnecessarily jeopardizes the privacy of Kansas women’s confidential medical records. As Governor, nothing is more important to me than the safety, health and privacy rights of our citizens. I am vetoing SB 389 because it endangers the health of women and is likely to be found in violation the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the State of Kansas. Therefore, pursuant to Article 2, Section 14 of the Constitution of the State of Kansas, I veto House Substitute for Senate Bill 389. _____________________________________________________________________ Representative Lance Kinzer Reacts to Governor's Veto of Comprehensive Abortion Reform Act: On April 21, 2008 Governor Sebelius vetoed House Substitute for SB 389, that Comprehensive Abortion Reform Act (CARA). Reacting to this veto the bill's chief sponsor Rep. Lance Kinzer (R - Olathe) stated, "The decision to veto CARA is a tragedy for women who will continue to be exploited by an industry that places profit above respect for human life. Sadly in Kansas it is not only the abortion industry itself, but the government agencies that are charged with regulating them, that have consistently ignored Kansas law and made our State the late term abortion capital of America. This veto will serve to further the tragedy of abortion in Kansas. CARA passed both the House and Senate by substantial margins because it represents exactly the kind of reform necessary to protect women and enforce existing law. I will do everything in my power to work to override this veto." CARA passed the Kansas House by a vote of 84-40 and the Kansas Senate by a vote of 25-13, before being vetoed by the governor. Explaining the content of the bill Rep. Kinzer noted, "At its best the pro-life movement in the United States has stood for the bedrock principles of human dignity, compassion and the rule of law. The intent of CARA is to advance each of these important values. All Kansans have a right to expect that existing laws limiting late term abortions in Kansas will be followed and enforced. Furthermore, women should have the right to accurate medical information when making a decision regarding abortion. CARA includes a number of provisions designed to strengthen enforcement of existing late term abortion laws. The bill further attempts to protect minors who are seeking abortions from coercion and expands the relevant information that that must be provided to women who are considering abortion." For more information regarding CARA please visit: http://www.lancekinzer.com/hb2736testimony.html.