Culture War Clash Gives Kansas New Medication Abortion Law
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP/KPR) — Kansas clinics will be required to tell patients that medication abortions can be stopped using a drug regimen that many providers consider ineffective and potentially dangerous. That's because of a legislative vote Thursday in the nation's ongoing partisan culture war. The Republican-controlled state Senate voted 29-11 along party lines to override Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's veto of the medication abortion "reversal" measure. The GOP-controlled House overrode the veto Wednesday and the new law takes effect July 1. Kelly vetoed more than a dozen bills restricting abortion providers, rolling back transgender rights or enacting other conservative policies that have been pursued by Republicans across the U.S. While top GOP lawmakers prevailed on a majority of the Kansas measures, Kelly had some key victories. Republicans moved ahead on anti-abortion measures despite a statewide vote in August 2022 affirming abortion rights. Democrats accused abortion opponents of breaking faith with voters, but Republicans argued that the vote didn't preclude "reasonable" restrictions on providers.
Republicans overrode Kelly's veto of $2 million in state funds for centers run by abortion opponents that provide counseling and other free services to discourage people from getting abortions, as well as a measure that could have providers facing criminal charges over allegations about their care for newborns delivered alive during abortion procedures.
They also overrode four of Kelly's vetoes of anti-transgender legislation, as well as a measure designed to combat the smuggling of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally. They rejected the governor's argument that the latter bill was written so broadly that a "good Samaritan" might face a prison sentence for taking gas money after driving an immigrant to work. "It shows you that the governor is not currently in the middle of the road," Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said after lawmakers finished a spate of votes overriding vetoes. "She's off on the left edge somewhere. We're trying to find her."
Kelly narrowly won reelection last year after her campaign broadcast ads showing her in the middle of a rural Topeka-area road as a metaphor for her politics. She said Thursday that her vetoes were "a check on legislation that is too extreme one way or the other."
The new requirement on medication abortions will become part of a longstanding state law spelling out what information clinics must give patients 24 hours in advance of an abortion — in print. Supporters said it makes sure women know of an option if they have doubts about terminating their pregnancies.
A San Diego doctor developed the "reversal" regimen more than a decade ago and anti-abortion groups have promoted it since. It involves large doses of the hormone progesterone within 24 hours of a patient taking the first of two abortion medication doses. Doctors have used progesterone to stave off miscarriages.
Jeanne Gawdun, lobbyist for Kansans for Life, the state's most politically influential anti-abortion group, praised lawmakers for demonstrating "the courage to stand against the Governor's extremist views."
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says there is no scientific evidence that the regimen works, and critics say studies touting the regimen are deeply flawed. They've also repeatedly noted that a California university stopped a small study of the regimen in 2019 when several participants' health was endangered.
Kansas providers also say patients almost never reconsider after taking the first dose of abortion medication. Dr. Selina Sandoval said she hasn't seen a single case in 10 months as a provider for Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which operates three Kansas clinics. "People don't drive 19 hours from Texas if they don't know what they want," Sandoval said, noting that appointments in Kansas are in demand because of other states' abortion bans. "They really want to paint the picture that patients that come for abortions are uncertain when they are not."
Republicans hold super-majorities in both chambers but GOP leaders couldn't consistently get all Republicans to vote to override Kelly's vetoes, and some efforts failed. Those efforts included votes on measures to allow parents to:
—Pull their public school students out of lessons or activities that offend their beliefs.
—Prevent state universities from using diversity, equity and inclusion principles in hiring decisions.
—Bar the board licensing mental health professionals from requiring them to undergo diversity, equity and inclusion training.
—Require public schools offering gun safety courses to base them on a National Rifle Association program.
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Kansas Legislators Impose Sweeping Anti-Trans Bathroom Law
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP/KPR) — Republican legislators in Kansas have enacted what may be the most sweeping transgender bathroom law in the U.S. on Thursday, overriding the Democratic governor's veto of the measure without having a clear idea of how their new law will be enforced. The vote in the House was 84-40, giving supporters exactly the two-thirds majority they needed to override Governor Laura Kelly's action. The vote in the Senate on Wednesday was 28-12, and the new law will take effect July 1.
At least eight other states have enacted laws preventing transgender people from using the restrooms associated with their gender identities, but most of them apply to schools. The Kansas law applies also to locker rooms, prisons, domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers.
“When I go out in public, like I’m at a restaurant or up on campus or whatever, and I need to go to the bathroom, there’s definitely going to be a voice in my head that says, '"Am I going to get harassed for that?’” said Jenna Bellemere, a 20-year-old transgender University of Kansas student. “It just makes it so much more complicated and risky and unnecessarily difficult.”
Republican legislators argued that they’re responding to people’s concerns about transgender women sharing bathrooms, locker rooms and other spaces with cisgender women and girls. They repeatedly promised that the bill would prevent that.
“We want to have safety,” said state Rep. Brenda Landwehr, a Wichita Republican and the chair of the House health committee.
The Kansas law is different than most other states' laws in that it legally defines male and female based on the sex assigned at birth and declares that “distinctions between the sexes” in bathrooms and other spaces serves “the important governmental objectives" of protecting "health, safety and privacy.”
The Kansas law doesn't create a new crime, impose criminal penalties or fines for violations or even say specifically that a person has a right to sue over a transgender person using a facility aligned with their gender identity. Many supporters acknowledged before it passed that they hadn't considered how it will be administered.
The bill is written broadly enough to apply to any separate spaces for men and women and, Kelly’s office said, could prevent transgender women from participating in state programs for women, including for female hunters and farmers. As written, it also prevents transgender people from changing the gender markers on their driver’s licenses — though it wasn’t clear whether that change would occur without a lawsuit.
Critics of the new law believe it is an attempt to legally erase transgender people while also refusing to recognize gender fluid, gender non-conforming and non-binary people. They argued that the bill’s vagueness will prompt harassment of transgender people.
When she vetoed the bill, Kelly suggested it was discriminatory and said it would hurt the state's ability to attract businesses.
Under the new law in Kansas, legally “sex” means “biological” sex, “either male or female, at birth," though it allows accommodations for intersex people if their conditions are considered disabilities under U.S. law. Intersex people can have ambiguous external genitalia at birth or conditions involving external genitals that don’t match a person’s sex chromosomes.
Supporters said they expect that most school districts, cities and counties already are in line with the new law in how they handle sex-separated spaces. They also don't expect local officials to actively police who uses which restrooms.
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said he expects police to intervene if there's “any kind of harassing behavior" but transgender people still will use facilities associated with their gender identities “if they’re discreet about it.”
Both supporters and critics suggest the new law will prompt court cases if someone has a complaint about how local officials or even businesses handle the use of facilities by transgender people.
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Judge Puts Missouri Rule Limiting Transgender Care on Hold
CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge has temporarily halted a first-of-its-kind rule restricting access to gender-affirming health care just hours before it was set to take effect. A judge on Wednesday put the Republican attorney general's emergency rule on transgender health care on hold until at least Monday. Lawyers representing transgender Missourians and health care providers sued to block the rule from taking effect. The rule would require documentation of gender dysphoria for three years and therapy over at least 18 months before patients could access gender-affirming medical treatments such as puberty blockers, hormones or surgery.
Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey says the rule places requirements on both minors and adults before they would be allowed to receive gender-affirming treatments, such as puberty blockers or hormones. It was set to take effect Thursday, but transgender Missourians and health care providers sued to stop it from being enforced. St. Louis County Circuit Judge Ellen Ribaudo said Wednesday that she would like more time to review the matter before deciding whether to issue a temporary restraining order. She delayed implementation of the rule until 5 pm Monday, saying she anticipates she will issue a ruling before then. Bailey has touted the rule as a way to shield minors from what he describes as experimental medical treatments, though puberty blockers and sex hormones have been prescribed for decades.
The lawsuit claims Bailey sidestepped the GOP-led Legislature and acted beyond his authority in attempting to regulate gender-affirming health care under the state's consumer-protection laws. Bailey issued the restrictions following an investigation he launched in February into the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital. The investigation was prompted by a former employee who alleged the center was providing children with gender-affirming care without informed consent, not enough individualized case review and wraparound mental health services. An internal review by the university found no misconduct and determined that the former employee's claims were unsubstantiated.
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U.S. Marshals Searching for Suspect in Shooting of Three KCK Officers
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KSHB) – The U.S. Marshals Service is offering up to a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of a man accused of shooting 3 Kansas City, Kansas police officers and was mistakenly released from a local jail.21-year-old Jae'veon Mitchell Locke is charged with three counts of attempted capital murder and several other charges. KSHB TV reports that the shootout with KCK officers happened April 5. Locke was mistakenly released from the Platte County Jail on April 21. The U.S. Marshals Service says Locke is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information on his location should call the U.S. Marshals Service.
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Man Fatally Shot by KCK Police During Confrontation
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A man was fatally shot late Wednesday after a confrontation with police officers in Kansas City, Kansas — the second fatal shooting by police in the city this year. The shooting happened around 8:30 pm Wednesday near a bridge that crosses the Kansas River, the Kansas City Star reported. An officer pulled over a vehicle for a traffic violation, said Officer Donna Drake of the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department, which is handling the investigation as part of an agreement between the two agencies.
Police on Thursday identified the man as Amaree’ya Henderson, of Kansas City.
Drake said a “confrontation ensued” after the traffic stop and ended when the officer shot the driver. No further details about the confrontation were immediately released. The police officer was treated for minor injuries. The name of the involved officer has not been released.
In February, police in Kansas City, Kansas, fatally shot a man after he allegedly fled on a bicycle from a house where two people had recently overdosed on fentanyl, the Star reported. Police said the man had a gun.
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Shawnee County Deputies Arrest Father After Kid Brings Drugs to School
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – A Shawnee County father has been arrested after school officials say his son accidentally brought drugs to school. KSNT reports that Shawnee County sheriff’s deputies responded to an elementary school in the southwest part of the county Wednesday after a student brought illegal drugs to school. School staff says the student found the drugs in his backpack and immediately told a staff member. The boy’s father was arrested at a home in west Topeka. He’s facing charges of possession of a hallucinogenic drug and endangering a child. The incident is under investigation.
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Kansas Legislature Passes Bill to Legalize Fentanyl Test Strips
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) - The Kansas Legislature has passed a bill that would legalize fentanyl test strips. KSNT reports that the Senate voted to pass the measure which would change the definition of “drug paraphernalia” to exclude tests used to detect the presence of fentanyl, ketamine or GHB. The House passed the bill earlier. The bill now heads to the governor's desk. Other provisions in the bill increase penalties for distributing fentanyl.
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Veto Override Attempt Fails on Kansas Parental Bill of Rights Bill
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - A bill that would specify parents’ rights in public school classrooms will not become law in Kansas. Republican state lawmakers failed to override Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s veto. The bill was a pared-down version of a Parents’ Bill of Rights that the governor vetoed last year. It would let parents pull their children out of any activity they find inappropriate. Opponents say it would have led to bans on lessons about race, gender or other controversial topics. Democratic Rep. Jerry Stogsdill voted against the override, saying parents can already ask for alternative assignments. “It seems to me like the Kansas House of Representatives does not see the reason to even have local school boards," he said. "Everything should be run from here in Topeka, obviously. That’s absolutely wrong.” More than two dozen U.S. states have introduced bills that seek to expand parents’ rights in schools.
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Kansas Legislature Imposes Requirements on Food Stamp Recipients
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas will soon have new work requirements for some people receiving food stamps. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly vetoed a bill requiring able-bodied Kansans between 50-59 years old to work 30 hours a week - or undergo job training - in order to get food assistance. Kansas Republicans overrode that veto Thursday. Opponents of the bill have said it would take food away from hungry people. Republican Senate President Ty Masterson says people who work fewer than 30 hours only need to enroll in work training programs to keep their benefits. “It’s like everything has to be built around a government program and a handout. This doesn’t force me to take anyone off (benefits). It gives them every chance to work and participate (in the economy).” Similar work requirements already exist for people under age 50.
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Southwest Kansas Town Named Best Summer Vacation Destination in the State
DODGE CITY, Kan. (KPR) — At least one website ranks a city in southwest Kansas as the best summer vacation spot in the whole state. According to the website TripsToDiscover.com, Dodge City is the best summer vacation destination in Kansas. The online travel website likes the fact that, in Dodge City, visitors have the "opportunity to watch gunfights at high noon, grab a drink in a real saloon and attend a top-notch community festival."
The website named the following cities as the top places to visit in neighboring states:
Estes Park, Colorado
Lake McConaughy in Ogallala, Nebraska
Lake of the Ozarks and Osage Beach, Missouri
Tulsa, Oklahoma
See the best summer vacation destinations in other states.
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Chiefs Pick Hometown Star and K-State Alum Felix Anudike-Uzomah in NFL Draft
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs waited until the final pick of the first round of the hometown NFL draft to pick a hometown boy, selecting Kansas State pass rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah with the 31st overall pick. Anudike-Uzomah was born in Kansas City and became a high school star in the suburb of Lee's Summit, Missouri, before playing for the Wildcats. He became a starter in the Big 12 by his sophomore season and declared for the draft after a junior season in which he was voted the league's defensive player of the year. Anudike-Uzomah fills a big need for the Chiefs. He also helped guide the Wildcats to a Big 12 title last season.
"I got drafted by literally my favorite team growing up," Anudike-Uzomah said. "It's definitly a dream come true." Anudike-Uzomah fills a big need for the Chiefs, who released Frank Clark not long ago to create some salary cap space. The Chiefs also used a first-round pick last year on defensive end George Karlaftis, and now they have two young players to anchor their pass rush for years to come. Karlaftis had six sacks while helping the Chiefs win the Super Bowl as a rookie.
"Felix is a heck of a player. He's also a KC native, so we appreciate that part of it, too," coach Andy Reid said. "When you're picking right there at 31, you take the best player available. He was that guy." "It's one thing to get drafted in the NFL," Chiefs general manager Brett Veach added. "To have a local kid get that call on draft night, while the draft is being held in Kansas City, needless to say he was pretty excited."
Kansas City had been in the spotlight all night before the Chiefs made their pick. The draft was being held for the first time at historic Union Station, where the largest stage complex in its history was erected near the National World War I Museum. Thousands of fans began arriving nearly 12 hours before Carolina went on the clock with the first pick, and 125,000 packed the area by the time the Chiefs made their pick. And while jerseys representing almost every NFL team were in the crowd, the vast majority were Chiefs jereys that formed a rollicking sea of red as fans awaited their selection. Earlier in the night, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce had greeted fans by bringing out their latest Lombardi Trophy. But for their selection, two finely dressed gentleman brought out their other two Lombardi trophies before Chiefs owner Clark Hunt carried out the third one and the champions finally made their pick.
Anudike-Uzomah was considered a fringe first-round pick, but the Chiefs saw enough value in him to make the selection, rather than trade out of Round 1 altogether. Anudike-Uzomah joins a group of pass rushers that also includes Mike Danna and Malik Herring, but where there will be ample opportunity to make an immediate impact. The Chiefs still have nine more draft picks, including second- and third-rounders on Friday night.
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Kansas Expected to Make More than $100 Million from NFL Draft
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) - The NFL Draft kicked off Thursday in Kansas City, Missouri, but the Kansas side of the metro area could also see a major economic benefit. In an exclusive interview with KSNT, Governor Laura Kelly said the state is expecting "well over $100 million economic impact... (and) those are probably low-ball estimates,” Kelly said. At least 300,000 people were expected to come to the Kansas City metro area. The governor said Kansas City has been a hot spot for other big events, drawing thousands of fans to a Super Bowl parade for the Chiefs this year. Kelly said the area is also drawing the attention of other organizations. Another major sporting event coming to the metro area in 2026 is the World Cup, which is expected to make a splash with thousands of soccer fans. State officials in Kansas and Missouri have been working together to draw in major events and boost cash flow for both states.
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Governor, Other Statewide Kansas Officials Will Get Significant Pay Raises in 2025
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) - The Kansas governor, attorney general and top judicial officials are among those in line for a significant pay raise under legislation signed by Governor Laura Kelly. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the bill signed last Friday would also tie future compensation to the rate of pay for members of Congress and also give state lawmakers a path to making more money by creating a commission to evaluate legislative compensation.
Currently, the governor makes $110,707 a year. The lieutenant governor makes $31,313. The attorney general is paid $98,901 and other statewide officials make a little over $86,000. Under the new law, the governor would make 100% of what a Congressman earns, which currently is $174,000. The attorney general would make $169,650, and the secretary of state, state treasurer and commissioner of insurance would make $160,950. Judges would also see a raise and their pay would be tied into what federal judges make moving forward.
Changes won't take effect until 2025.
Kansas legislators believe low pay has limited the number of candidates seeking public office. Some legislators have worried that the traditional pay rate of $88.66 per day, plus an additional $157 per day for meals and lodging, blocked younger individuals, the middle class and people of color from serving in Topeka. Others say the pay raises for state officials are too rich and came at a time when legislators were delaying consideration of whether to give state workers a pay increase.
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Nearly 5-Hour Consecration Ceremony Set for New $40 Million Church in Northeast Kansas
ST. MARYS, Kan. (KSNT/KPR) – After waiting for several years, celebrants of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) will host a consecration ceremony for their new Immaculata church in St. Marys. KSNT reports that the consecration is set for May 3, 2023, for what will be one of the largest churches in Kansas. With a seating capacity for more than 1,500 people, this church will be the largest SSPX church in the world. The four-and-a-half-hour-long ceremony will conclude with an open house.
The new Immaculata replaces the original building destroyed by fire. The new church began in 2020 thanks to millions of dollars in funding from donors. The Immaculata will conduct traditional Latin mass and other sacraments according to the traditional rites of the Catholic Church.
The Society of Saint Pius X is an international fraternity of traditionalist Catholic priests founded in 1970. The society is named after Pope Pius X, whose anti-Modernist stance is embraced by the society. Tensions remain between the society and the pope in Rome. In the 1980s, Pope John Paul II excommunicated some of the society's bishops. While the excommunications were lifted, the society's relationship with the Vatican remains unresolved.
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80+ Years After Death at Pearl Harbor, Kansas Sailor's Remains Return Home
Douglass, Kan. (WIBW) - More than 80 years after his death aboard the U.S.S. Oklahoma during the attack on Pearl Harbor, one Kansas sailor will finally be returned and buried in his home state. WIBW TV reports that 20-year-old Seaman 2nd Class Floyd Clifford, of Mulvane, died December 7, 1941 during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Now, his remains have been returned to his home state. Clifford will be laid to rest May 2nd in the town of Douglass, where full military graveside honors will be given. (Burial is scheduled for at 2 pm, May 2, in Richmond Cemetery, in rural Douglass.)
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This summary of area news is curated by KPR news staffers, including J. Schafer, Laura Lorson, Tom Parkinson and Kaye McIntyre. Our headlines are generally posted by 10 am weekdays and updated throughout the day. These ad-free headlines are made possible by KPR members. Become one today. And follow KPR News on Twitter.