Dear editor,
Kansas Republicans introduced HB2746 back on March 29, 2022 to ban abortions from time of conception. The bill died in committee because abortion is currently protected in the Kansas Constitution. They listed only three exceptions in the bill when an abortion would not be a crime:
1. Save the life or preserve the health of an unborn child.
2. Remove a deceased, unborn child whose death was caused by spontaneous miscarriage or stillbirth, or
3. Terminate an ectopic pregnancy that seriously threatens the life of the mother when a reasonable alternative to save the lives of both the mother and the unborn child is unavailable.
Their “unborn child” is defined as “from the moment of fertilization in utero through pregnancy until birth, including the developmental stages of human conceptus, zygote, morula, blastocyst, embryo and fetus.”
There is no exception to save the life of the mother in this bill. There is no exception for rape or incest in this bill. There is no exception for a fetus that has no chance of survival at birth in this bill. I also have a problem with a “reasonable alternative…is unavailable” regarding ectopic pregnancies since a fetus will not survive the first trimester of an ectopic pregnancy and could be fatal for the mother if not caught early.
This bill did not “Value Them Both.” It values only the fetus regardless of the peril to the mother. Even if it leaves her already-born children without a mother. Even if it is a child who is pregnant. Please uphold the Kansas Constitution and give women and their families the choice to make their own decisions. Vote NO Aug 2. Early voting in Allen County has begun.
Peggy Lundine,
Humboldt, Kan.
