Rep. Samantha Poetter Parshall Files Bill to Abolish Abortion in Kansas
TOPEKA, KS - State Representative Samantha Poetter Parshall filed HB 2171, the Abolish Abortion Kansas Act, which would classify the act of abortion as homicide and provide equal protection to all preborn children from the moment of fertilization.
Representatives Brett Fairchild and Kevin Schwertfeger have also signed onto the bill as primary sponsors.
In 2019, the Kansas State Supreme Court decided that “abortion” should be treated as an “inalienable right” under the Kansas Constitution. In 2022, pro-life Republicans attempted to undo the State Supreme Court’s decision by putting forth the “Value Them Both” amendment, which would have clarified that there is no “right to abortion” under the Kansas Constitution. The “Value Them Both” amendment was defeated by a margin of 59% - 41%, after a massive counter campaign mounted by the pro-abortion side, and abortion has remained almost entirely unrestricted in Kansas ever since.
Abortions in Kansas have exploded since the Dobbs decision, with mothers traveling from nearby states, such as Texas and Oklahoma, which have some material regulations on abortion. In 2023, 19,467 preborn babies were reported murdered in Kansas, representing a 148% increase in abortions since 2021. In a post-Roe America, Kansas has become a destination state for the murder of preborn babies.
Ultimately, legislators must abolish abortion in Kansas regardless of what the Kansas State Supreme Court pretends the Kansas Constitution says. The equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, “No state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Therefore, no state supreme court has the authority to allow prenatal genocide in its jurisdiction.
This legislative session is not the first time a bill of equal protection has been introduced in Kansas. Representative Poetter Parshall also introduced the bill in 2024 and Representative Trevor Jacobs introduced the first bill of equal protection in Kansas in 2023. Each year, the bill died in committee without receiving a hearing.
Representatives Poetter Parshall, Fairchild, and Schwertfeger are on the front lines of the political war against abortion. If you live in Kansas, please contact your state representatives and ask them to co-sponsor HB 2171.