The Lawrence Times runs opinion columns written by community members with varying perspectives on local issues. Occasionally, we’ll also pick up columns from other nearby news outlets. These pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Times staff.
The Lawrence Times does not publish staff editorials (unsigned opinion columns, usually about the topics we cover, that many news publications run).
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OPINION COLUMNS
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Ami Helmer: I was trained my entire life to end Roe (Column)
“Oh, my friends. I wish I could share your shock, but I do share your grief,” Ami Helmer writes in this column.
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Hannah Bailey: What can we learn from Kansas’ history of forced sterilization? (Column)
“By applying an either/or rhetoric to a highly nuanced and medically complex issue, anti-abortion advocates are assuring that lawyers, hospital staff, and political entities will ultimately make decisions about pregnancy and abortion care,” Hannah Bailey writes in this column.
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Deb Haaland: Our ancestors survived against all odds; we owe it to them to vote (Column)
“Participating in governing is a time honored and sacred tradition in our Indigenous communities. Our ancestors and relatives survived against seemingly insurmountable odds, which is why we owe it to them to make our voices heard at the ballot box,” Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior, writes in this column.
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Dot Nary: Where is the affordable and accessible housing? (Column)
“We all need to advocate for our family members, friends, neighbors, and fellow Lawrencians who may need accessible housing — now or in the future,” Dot Nary writes in this column.
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Sharon Brett: With abortion rights at stake across U.S. and Kansas, whose religious freedom do we value? (Column)
“Two decisions issued by the U.S. Supreme Court last month … signal an alarming shift toward allowing personal religious beliefs to dominate public policy,” Sharon Brett writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
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Max Kautsch: Getting logrolled? Legislator survey exposes weakness in Kansas constitutional limit on bundling (Column)
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the […]
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John Tures: States with strong antiabortion laws have high maternal and infant mortality rates (Column)
“As someone who considers himself pro-life, I should be celebrating the recent Dobbs case that the Supreme Court used to overturn Roe v. Wade. But I’m very concerned today,” John Tures writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
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Edith Guffey: What happened to liberty? (Column)
“I wonder, if the justices are so concerned about history and intent, what do they make of some of the other important documents of our country and the intent of the founding fathers?” Edith Guffey writes in this column.
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Ella Lee Dominguez: Lighting candles and cleaning crumbs as my rights disappear (Column)
“The Supreme Court has made its decision — so I will make mine,” Ella Lee Dominguez writes in this column.
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Bridging the digital divide can reduce gaps between Kansas communities (Column)
“As state and local governments invest in broadband, they should also ensure their work is focused on digital equity,” members of the Governor’s Commission on Racial Equity and Justice write in this Kansas Reflector column.
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Mark McCormick: This Juneteenth, let’s redefine freedom as parity (Column)
“Parity offers the truer path to freedom for African Americans and to a healthier democracy. Juneteenth’s emancipation remembrance merely marks the first step,” Mark McCormick writes in this Kansas Reflector column.
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Max Kautsch: With open government on the line, we’re calling Kansas legislators to account (Column)
“Kansas voters cannot allow our elected leaders to avoid this crucial issue. … After all, if elected leaders are not sensitive to the concerns of their voters, why should they remain in office?” Max Kautsch, president of the Kansas Coalition for Open Government, writes in this column for Kansas Reflector.
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Tom Harper: Impending demolition of KU’s Facilities building is a betrayal to historic district (Column)
“Jayhawks and the Lawrence community deserve better decision-making from KU’s leadership as it relates to historic preservation on Mount Oread,” Tom Harper writes in this column about the likely impending demolition of the Facilities Administration Building.
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Edith Guffey: Let’s talk about the right to life (Column)
“I shouldn’t have to worry about the safety of my adult children. I should be able to drive, to go shopping — in Buffalo, in Lawrence, anywhere — without fear,” Edith Guffey writes in this column.
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Huascar Medina: Anti-immigrant law motivated by xenophobia and racism makes Kansas less welcoming (Column)
“In 70 days, the state of Kansas was able to endanger and alienate immigrants, their families, friends and allies by embracing white supremacist ideologies like xenophobia and racism,” Huascar Medina writes in this column for Kansas Reflector.