Topeka, KS – The Kansas House of Representatives joins Arkansas and North Dakota in passing comprehensive pro-life legislation. “As with Arkansas and North Dakota, Liberty Counsel will defend this pro-life law pro bono,” pledged Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No rights are more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant.”
HR 2253, passed by the Kansas House of Representatives with a vote of 92 to 31, declares that life begins at fertilization: “The legislature hereby finds and declares the following: (1) The life of each human being begins at fertilization; (2) unborn children have interests in life, health and well-being that should be protected; and (3) the parents of unborn children have protectable interests in the life, health and well-being of the unborn children of such parents,” the bill says. The Senate is expected to pass the bill, and pro-life Governor Sam Brownback will likely sign it.
In addition, HR2253 excludes abortionists from receiving tax breaks, prohibits state medical school residents from performing abortions on state time, prohibits organizations that perform abortions from teaching sex education classes in public school, and requires abortionists to notify women of the risks of an abortion.
“Society has protected unborn babies, dating from ancient Greece to the present day,” Staver said. “Common law in England and the United States, with support from the medical and legal professions, recognized that ‘[l]ife is the immediate gift of God, a right inherent in every individual; and it begins in contemplation of law as soon as an infant is able to stir in the mother’s womb.’” This understanding remained the prevailing view in the United States through the middle of the 20th century, when a societal shift prompted a liberalization of criminal laws, including Roe v. Wade.
“However, in personal injury, criminal, and wills and estate law, the law has continued to recognize the unborn child as a human with legal protections, not merely a ‘potential’ human being,” Staver said. “The U.S. Supreme Court’s abortion cases are an aberration to law and stand on an island by themselves, and that island will one day disappear. We need to protect human life at all stages of development,” said Staver.
Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.
Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.
