A battle is currently raging in Kansas, represented by warring signs. The purple signs say “Value Them Both: Vote Yes”, while the blue signs say “Stop the Ban: Vote No” signs.
Tomorrow the victor will be determined.
Tomorrow, August 2nd, Kansas holds its primary elections. On the ballot is an amendment that would make Kansas the very first state post-Roe to remove the right to abortion from its State Constitution. If it passes, he amendment in question, called Value Them Both, will open the door to severely limiting abortion in the Sunflower state.
The amendment was added to the ballot in January of this year, as pressure mounted to overturn Roe v. Wade. Distinct from trigger bans, this legislation would mark the beginning of a genuinely new era: an era in which state legislatures are not only able to limit, but entirely ban, abortions.
Introduced by a coalition of several pro-life organizations[1], the amendment would add the following text to Kansas’ constitution:
“§ 22. Regulation of abortion. 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 a 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.”
Recognizing the importance of this change, one pro-life group that took an active role in educating Kansans over the last few months has been Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America (previously known as Susan B. Anthony List). SBA has been sending groups of university students, brought in from around the nation, out to door-knock.
PRI President Steven Mosher, who has a long relationship with SBA, was happy to see me participate again in this important work. I had door-knocked with SBA twice before in Florida and Georgia for pro-life candidates, and now it was off to Kansas in May and June. This time was a little different, however, because I was advocating for an amendment rather than a political figure. From 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM every day we walked, knocked, and talked to individuals about the amendment, going from neighborhood to neighborhood.
The experience of knocking on strangers’ doors to talk to them about legislation that could save the lives of the unborn is surreal. You always feel a small amount of trepidation at the beginning of the day at the prospect of negative reactions. But the day wears on, your perspective shifts. It doesn’t matter whether you are yelled at, or if the door is slammed in your face. What are a few moments of discomfort, if you are able to change some hearts and minds? What does it matter if you are verbally harassed when there are little lives on the line?
The truth is that for many this amendment hits very close to home. I found that for every pro-abortion reaction I had one or more positive pro-life responses that more than balance the scale. You run into many people who grew up knowing that life begins at conception, and others who when prompted on why they are pro-life respond simply that it’s the truth. Then there are those who faced a crisis in their life that changed their perspective on life forever.
Jennifer, who brought her toddler out onto the porch to talk with me, was one these. After conducting the usual survey on whether she supported pro-life legislation, I asked why she was pro-life. She grew teary-eyed. She shared that she had gone through three miscarriages before being able to carry to term the toddler she had with her then. Her sorrowful experience had irrevocably taught her that children, even before they are born, are truly alive and deserving of life. She mourns the babies she had lost and the many others who die in abortions every day.
Rodney was an older man who shared his story with me. He and his wife were very close to an abortion when they were young. They were newly married and poor. When his wife surprised him by announcing she was pregnant, Rodney’s first thought was that they couldn’t afford a baby and would have to abort.
Thank God that a co-worker of Rodney’s pointed out the stone-cold truth of the matter, that Rodney and his wife were planning to kill their own child. Rodney will never forget his co-worker’s words, “That’s your child in there. You’re going to kill your own child?”
His words brought Rodney up short. He immediately called his wife and told her–much to her relief–that he had been wrong. They had a baby boy, who turned out to be the only child they were ever able to conceive. Today they are the proud grandparents of two beautiful little girls.
Then there was Melissa, who went to grab her daughter as soon as I finished my opening spiel on the Value Them Both amendment. Pointing to her daughter, she excitedly told me, “This is a pro-life kid right here.”
When Melissa was pregnant, the doctors told her that she would not make it to term and that her best course of action was to abort her baby. Despite the pressure, Melissa did not cave. Her daughter was born at 25-weeks. Today, her daughter is happy and healthy.
These are just a few of the passionately pro-life individuals who confidently told me they would be voting yes on the amendment. Others had not known about the amendment but after hearing about it decided that they, too, would be voting yes.
Every pro-lifer in America should pray that this amendment will pass. We must build the future we want to see, not only in Kansas but around the entire United States, by converting one heart at a time.
With prayers and anticipation, we wait for the results of Kansas’ primaries. May this be another step towards a culture of life in our nation and around the world.
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Chiara Mosher is the New Media Specialist at the Population Research Institute. She is a rising Senior at Ave Maria University, where she is working on a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She served as the Vice President of AMU for Life from 2020 to 2022. To date, she has participated in four door-knocking deployments with Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.
