Protesters in Overland Park tell Kansans to ‘vote no’ on upcoming abortion amendment

Over 50 protesters lined a block in Overland Park on Sunday chanting “vote no” to cars that passed, referring to a state constitutional amendment on the Aug. 2 primary ballot. The Kansas amendment would remove the right to abortion from the state constitution, opening up the possibility for the legislature to pass further regulations, possibly including a total ban on abortion in the state.

Protesters also gathered along the 4400 block of College Boulevard in Overland Park in response to Friday’s Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that protected the federal right to abortion until viability. Following the 6-3 decision, 11 states, including Missouri, passed total bans on abortion through so-called “trigger laws.”

Tami Nebesniak, 47, a member of the Missouri Handmaids, a local activist group, came to the protest wearing a long red gown and white hood with a sign that read “Abort the Court.” Nebesniak, who lives in Olathe, said she works in foster care and thinks the decision will mean even more parents who don’t have the means to raise a child will need to place them in an already overcrowded and under-resourced system.

“[Lawmakers] talk about the pregnant woman, they’re not talking past that,” she said. “They just want to make sure the pregnant woman has the resources, and then once that baby’s born, we don’t help with child care. We don’t help with maternity leave. We don’t have universal health care.”

For now, the Kansas state constitution protects the right to abortion because of a previous state Supreme Court case that interpreted the right to bodily autonomy to include the right to abortion. The amendment, which Kansans can vote on in the Aug. 2 primaries, would remove that protection and allow for lawmakers to further restrict abortion rights in the state.

Nebesniak’s child, 20-year-old Unity Nebesniak, said they also wanted to attend the protest to bring attention to transgender and nonbinary people, who they said are impacted by the Supreme Court decision just as much as women but are rarely represented in conversations surrounding abortion and abortion rights.

Nebesniak said if the Kansas amendment is passed, it could potentially eliminate one of the states where people in the Midwest could receive an abortion.

“If that law is passed,” they said, “then it’s eradicating another place where people can go seek freedom or salvation for their bodies.”

Corrinne Geisler ‘s 9-year-old daughter Delilah overheard her mom and grandmother talking about the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe on Friday and the upcoming Kansas ballot initiative. Delilah’s first question, Geisler said, was if she could vote.

“I told her no, and she said ‘Well what can I do? Can I make a sign?’” Geisler said.

When Geisler told her about Sunday’s demonstration, Delilah immediately said yes. Her grandmother Mary Hindson tagged along, too.

Caleb Adegoke, 30, of Shawnee also attended the demonstration Sunday, holding a sign that read “Real men support women’s rights.” Adegoke said, with the Court overturning Roe, he fears that other longstanding precedents could be taken away by the conservative-leaning Supreme Court too. If the Kansas amendment passed, Adegoke said it could be “devastating” for low-income people, people without access to health care and other groups who are less likely to be able to travel for a safe abortion.

“What happens to those people if this [amendment] gets passed?” Adegoke said. “Not only do you get criminalized for being poor, you get criminalized for being a victim of the worst assault a woman can face, and that to me, not only does it not make sense, I think it’s inhumane and degrading.”

This story was originally published June 26, 2022 at 5:08 PM.

Andrea Klick

The Kansas City Star

Andrea Klick was a breaking news reporter for The Kansas City Star. She studied journalism and political science at the University of Southern California and grew up near Allentown, Pennsylvania.