Note: The Lawrence Times runs opinion columns and letters to the Times written by community members with varying perspectives on local issues. These pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Times staff.
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We oppose the Kansas Constitutional Amendment that will be decided in the August 2nd primary election and encourage Kansans to vote “no”!
The intentionally confusing language of the amendment states: “Because Kansans value both women and children, the constitution of the state of Kansas does not require government funding of abortion and does not create or secure the right to abortion. To the extent permitted by the constitution of the United States, the people, through their elected state representatives and state senators, may pass laws regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, laws that account for circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, or circumstances of necessity to save the life of the mother.”
The amendment language implies that to vote “yes” will protect victims and women. It does not. Voting for this amendment will give away our rights guaranteed by the Kansas Constitution, as affirmed in 2019 by the Kansas Supreme Court. Voting for the amendment gives the Legislature the full power to regulate abortion. If the amendment passes, it will immediately trigger the Legislature to ban abortion and related health care. There is already a bill drafted to do so.
Kansas already has highly restricted abortion care with no government funding, and that will continue if we vote “no.”
The League of Women Voters encourages all Kansas voters, including unaffiliated voters, to vote “no” on August 2nd.
— Carol Williamson and Lori Hutfles, co-presidents, League of Women Voters of Lawrence-Douglas County
Cast your ballot in the Aug. 2 election
You can quickly request an advance ballot to be mailed to you at KSVotes.org. The last day to request a mail ballot is July 26.
To see what’s on the ballot, visit this link. For information about voting early in person, visit this link. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Aug. 2.
* We are not election workers *
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More Community Voices:
Letter to the Times: City should create oversight committee to guide pool renovation project, rebuild trust
”Our petition’s 1,764 signatures, our supporters’ 75 letters, and our research into the extensive flaws in the (pool renovation) community engagement process all indicate that the previously proposed plan did not reflect public opinion,” Holly Krebs writes in this letter to the Times.
Shawn Alexander: Say his name – Fred Harvey Smith (Column)
”Racial violence has been omnipresent in American history, and in far too many of the incidents, the perpetrators of the crime are acquitted or not even brought up on charges. When I think of such cases I am often haunted by the heinous murder of Fred Harvey Smith here in the land of John Brown in May 1936,” Shawn Alexander writes in this column.
Letter to the Times: Are veterans’ sacrifices for democracy worthless?
”My father (Navy), mother (Army), and many other family members served our country in World War II. … They gave of themselves, in countless ways, to stop the spread of authoritarianism, suppression of freedoms and tyranny of the many by the few,” Sandy Sanders writes in this letter to the Times.
