Star politics: The gathering storm on abortion
A Kansas lawmaker threw a match into the abortion debate this week when he introduced a bill that would criminalize the procedure in the state.
The bill, sponsored by hard-right Republican Trevor Jacobs, would ban all abortions except in cases of miscarriage, stillbirth or ectopic pregnancies. The measure appeared to have no exceptions for rape, incest or cases that could threaten the life of the mother.
If someone were to get an abortion in Kansas with this law on the books, they could be prosecuted for a felony. So could the medical professionals who perform them.
Anti-abortion rights activists quickly denounced the bill, saying they were focused on voter approval for the constitutional amendment that would explicitly say there is no right to an abortion in the Kansas Constitution, overriding a ruling by the Kansas Supreme Court in 2019. The question is on the August ballot.
But the bill illustrates the heightened stakes surrounding abortion fights throughout the country. The U.S. Supreme Court is mulling a decision on whether to uphold a Mississippi abortion law that bans the procedure after 15 weeks. A decision in Mississippi’s favor would roll back Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that established a constitutional right to an abortion and prevented bans before 23 weeks.
For years, while anti-abortion activists chipped away at abortion rights by passing laws that added hurdles and placed restrictions on the procedure, the Supreme Court stepped in to block bills they said went too far. But through a series of maneuvers by then U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republicans were effectively able to place a 6-3 conservative majority on the court. And this group of justices appear willing to overturn or roll back Roe v. Wade.
The changes in the court add more severe consequences to abortion laws that for a long time were largely theoretical — the sorts of bills lawmakers propose to show they are tough on abortion, but would be stopped by the courts before they actually affected people.
That changed significantly last year when the Supreme Court decided against blocking the controversial abortion law in Texas law empowering citizens to sue people who help a woman get an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.
These laws could potentially foreshadow the next generation of abortion laws — a patchwork quilt of rules across the country where the ability to get an abortion depends on where you live. Lawmakers who believe abortion is murder and move to ban it will have to face questions of whether there should be exceptions.
Missouri lawmakers have grappled with whether to pass a tough abortion law modeled after the one in Texas — one that would also allow lawsuits against people who help women get abortions out of state. They sidestepped the bill this week, along with an amendment that would have prevented women from getting an abortion to end an ectopic pregnancy, where the fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus and can threaten the life of the mother.
These battles have been happening for a long time. Kansas, after all, is in many ways the birthplace of the anti-abortion movement, where the 1991 Summer of Mercy in Wichita ignited passions what would become a powerful political movement, one that resulted in the assassination of an abortion doctor.
But more than 50 years after Roe v. Wade, abortion battles don’t appear to be going anywhere soon.
More from Missouri
It looked like there was a glimmer of progress last week when the Missouri Senate finally agreed to pass a congressional redistricting map. That hope flickered this week after the House rejected the Senate’s map. The Senate, in turn, rejected a conference committee to find agreement.
Here are headlines from across the state:
Missouri’s redistricting map is back to a stalemate after rejection from House, Kacen Bayless
- Parson declares COVID-19 crisis ‘over’ after 2 years and 16,000 deaths, Kacen Bayless and Jonathan Shorman
- Josh Hawley says he missed a call from Trump on morning of Jan. 6 insurrection, Daniel Desrochers
Parson believes Sheena Greitens, won’t call on Eric Greitens to quit, Kacen Bayless and Daniel Desrochers
Trudy Busch Valentine enters race for U.S. Senate, shakes up Democratic primary, Daniel Desrochers
And across Kansas
On Monday in Wyandotte County district court, a group of Kansas voters will attempt to prove that a map drawn by the Republican-controlled legislature produced politically and racially gerrymandered political lines that violate the Kansas Constitution. Republicans say their map is fair and constitutional.
A trial over the Kansas legislature’s redistricting map starts next week, Jonathan Shorman and Aarón Torres
- Kansas loses federal money for refusing to enforce federal vaccine mandate, Katie Bernard
- Legislature approves bill targeting Wyandotte County’s ‘safe and welcoming’ ordinance, Katie Bernard
Legislative and ed board maps head to Kelly’s desk as congressional maps await trial, Kate Bernard
- Laura Kelly indicates she’d be willing to use economic incentives to lure the Chiefs, Jonathan Shorman
The latest from Kansas City
In Kansas City …
Kansas City Police Department’s beard policy cost the city around $90,000, Glenn E. Rice
- Kansas City Police Department settles with teen who was punched and tased, Glenn E. Rice, Katie Moore and Luke Nozicka
- Neighbors push back as city tries to revive pallet shelters for the homeless, Anna Spoerre
Have a news tip? Send it along to ddesrochers@mcclatchydc.com.
Odds and ends
PACs launch ads
Eric Greitens’ PAC launched an ad this week attacking Rep. Vicky Hartzler, calling her weak on immigration issues.
The criticism comes because Hartzler backed a failed immigration reform bill in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018. The bill was backed by former President Donald Trump, but faced opposition from some Republicans because it included a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children. The bill would have also provided $23 million for border security and would have overhauled the immigration system.
Greitens PAC accused Hartzler of backing amnesty for illegal immigrants and said she was trying to protect immigrants accused of crime. She pushed back on the claims, citing Trump’s support of the bill.
“Eric Greitens is Lying,” Hartzler said. “H.R. 6136 did not provide amnest(sic). If it did, President Trump would not have supported it. Greitens should take down this ad and apologize to President Trump.’‘
The attack comes the same week that Hartzler took a slight lead in the race, according to a poll released by the Trafalgar Group. It’s not so different than the criticism Rep. Billy Long has directed toward Hartzler, saying he has a more conservative record than her based on ratings from the Club for Growth and American Conservative Union.
A PAC supporting Long, called WinMO, launched an ad this week touting his “not an” endorsement from Trump.
Davids goes to the White House
Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids visited the White House on Wednesday alongside members from the New Democrat Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats in the House of Representatives.
According to a statement about the meeting, the group pushed for passage of a revised budget reconciliation bill (the first version, called Build Back Better, imploded last year) that would focus on reducing drug prices and addressing climate change. They also pushed for final passage of the America COMPETES Act, a bill that would invest in domestic manufacturing and scientific research. It passed the Senate this week and is now in conference committee. Davids got an amendment into the bill.
Hawley bill
After leading the crusade against Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson at last week’s U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley introduced a bill this week he said would impose stricter punishments for people who are convicted of possessing and distributing child pornography. The bill would require that anyone convicted of possessing child pornography be sentenced to a minimum of five years. It would also prevent judges from sentencing child porn offenders to anything less than the minimum set by federal guidelines.
The U.S. Sentencing Commission has found that the existing guidelines don’t account for changes in how people obtain and share child pornography in the internet era. A majority of federal judges currently issue sentences below the guidelines.
Greitens (not) in D.C.
It was a bit bizarre. On Tuesday, Eric Greitens’ campaign said they were holding a press conference in front of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Around 5 p.m., Greitens’ D.C. lawyer (not to be mistaken for his Missouri lawyer) spoke to a small group, only a few from mainstream news outlets. One woman who asked a question was wearing a pink “Let’s Go Brandon” hoodie.
It was part of Greitens’ attempt to discredit allegations made by his ex-wife in a child custody dispute that he physically and emotionally abused her and their children. She made the allegations under oath in an affidavit. Greitens has (not under oath) denied the allegations and spent more time painting them as a political hit job orchestrated by McConnell and Karl Rove. His lawyer announced that they had subpoenaed the communications of Rove, a former Greitens staffer, Sheena Greitens, and Sheena Greitens’ sister. The subpoenas were filed in Missouri courts, not in D.C.
Greitens did not appear at the press conference. Sheena Greitens’ affidavit revealed Greitens has a place in the District. Zillow estimates the 7 bedroom house is worth $1.7 million (though it is likely split into smaller, rented apartments). It’s just a 19 minute walk through the cherry blossom-lined Senate Park to the site of the press conference. Plus, the blossoms were just in peak bloom!
Fresh faces
This week our new Jefferson City reporter Kacen Bayless started on the Missouri government and politics beat. He’s a Missouri native and a die hard Mizzou fan, but comes to us after spending a few years in South Carolina where he once crashed a secret meeting in a restaurant for an article. Reach out and say howdy: kbayless@kcstar.com
Happy Friday
In honor of The Slap last weekend, here’s an article looking at why everyone’s brains are broken. This weekend you can’t go wrong with an old fashioned. Here’s a song by Bob Dylan for the road.
Enjoy your weekend.
Looking for more?
Think this newsletter is missing something? Think I’m fabulous? Think I’m a moron? Send your reactions to ddesrochers@mcclatchydc.com.
For more politics news, follow @Kacen, @KatieJ_Bernard, @drdesrochers, @jonshorman and @annaspoerre.
Support local journalists with a subscription.
Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can sign-up here. If you’d prefer to unsubscribe from this newsletter, you can do so at any time using the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of this message.
This story was originally published April 1, 2022 at 7:48 AM with the headline "Star politics: The gathering storm on abortion."