Johnson County voters would never know by reading campaign websites that Republicans who are seeking reelection there were among the most zealous opponents of abortion rights.
Legislators who championed the anti-abortion constitutional amendment that voters rejected in August 2022 responded by aggressively pursuing anti-abortion legislation. But now, faced with the threat of losing their seats, they have coopted the rallying cry of advocates for reproductive health rights, saying on their websites, in voter guides and on the campaign trail that the people spoke in August 2022 and they respect the decision.
The careful wording by Sen. Kellie Warren, Sen. Mike Thompson, Rep. Angela Stiens and Rep. Carl Turner fails to mention their votes just this year for legislation that would establish rights for an unborn child from the moment of conception, funnel millions of taxpayer dollars into anti-abortion programming, create a crime for “coercing” someone into terminating a pregnancy, and require women to answer invasive questions before obtaining an abortion.
In 2023, they voted for a law to require abortion providers give patients false information about how the abortion pill can be reversed, a claim based on junk science that could harm women’s health. The legislators also promoted a false narrative about babies being aborted after they are born. And they tried to ban abortion providers from obtaining liability insurance.
“Kansans agree that the government has no business interfering in the private medical decisions made by patients in consultation with their doctors and their families,” said Ashley All, president of Kansas Coalition for Common Sense, which advocates for reproductive health care rights. “Yet Republican legislators and candidates continue to believe they know better than us what is best for our families.”
‘Extreme record’
The Kansas Supreme Court in a 2019 ruling determined the state constitution’s right to bodily autonomy protects the right to terminate a pregnancy. Republicans, whose party platform condemns abortion, responded with a push to place a constitutional amendment in front of voters that would eliminate the right to obtain an abortion and give the Legislature control over restrictions.
The initial effort failed to gain the two-thirds majority needed in both the House and Senate to place the measure in front of voters. Anti-abortion forces mobilized to oust the few Republicans who stood in the way.
Warren, formerly a House member, defeated incumbent Republican Sen. John Skubal in the 2020 primary with the endorsement of Kansans for Life, the most prominent anti-abortion lobbying group in the state. Skubal had been the only Republican senator to oppose placing the constitutional amendment on the ballot.
Warren championed the anti-abortion amendment, which cleared the Legislature in 2021 but was scheduled for a vote in August 2022 in an attempt to maximize Republican turnout. But the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, and Kansas voters rejected the amendment by a 59-41 margin.
Warren outlines her position on abortion under the header “Just the Facts” on her website.
“Don’t let false, negative ads fool you. The voters spoke on this issue in August 2022, and I respect the decision,” Warren said. “I’m not advocating for an abortion ban, and I have never voted for one. I fully support IVF and oppose a ban on it. Any ad that tells you otherwise is false.”
Warren and Thompson voted against a motion made by Democrats in March to force a debate on legislation that would protect in vitro fertilization rights in Kansas.
Karen Thurlow, a Democrat who is running against Warren, said in a statement for this story that Warren has led the fight against reproductive rights.
“She ignored the voters in her district,” Thurlow said. “Just months ago, she voted for more extreme laws that restrict abortion and force doctors to report private patient information to the government. Now, she’s trying to hide her extreme record.”
Warren and Stiens responded to a request for comment for this story by pointing to their websites. Thompson and Turner didn’t respond.
‘Fervent hope’
In campaign materials, the Republican legislators say they don’t support an abortion ban, although Kansas Reflector obtained audio in advance of the August 2022 vote in which Republicans said they planned to enact an abortion ban, without exceptions for rape, incest, or to save the life of a mother, if the constitutional amendment were adopted.
A day after the August 2022 vote, Thompson lamented the outcome in an email to his supporters. He said it was his “fervent hope” that voters had been misled by advertising and news stories. The alternative — that voters support abortion rights — would be “disturbing and unthinkable,” he wrote.
“I know that some are absolutely satisfied with the end result…and are likely celebrating today,” Thompson wrote. “I hope and pray that someday they realize the devastation they have left behind. May God have mercy on Kansas … we will need to reprove to Him, somehow, that we deserve His grace.”
Thompson now has embraced a more restrained point of view as outlined on his website under the header “Setting the Record Straight.” He says Kansans share common ground on the issue.
“Most Kansans want no taxpayer funding of abortion, limits on late-term abortion, rigorous health and safety regulations, parental consent for minors, help for women with unexpected pregnancies, and adoption to be more affordable,” Thompson said. “They also support exceptions in heartbreaking cases like rape, incest, and life of the mother.”
He also claims to have voted against a ban on abortion this year, even though there was no such vote in the Senate.
Thompson’s opponent, Democrat Andrew Mall, said Thompson has spent the past two legislative sessions “attacking reproductive health care — forcing doctors to interrogate and lie to patients and restricting access to IVF.
“Now that the election is coming up, he is trying to rewrite his history on the issue, but voters in District 10 will see through his facade and tactics just like they did in 2022,” Mall said.
‘Pretty good messaging’
In January, speaking at an annual anti-abortion rally, GOP leadership promised to pursue more anti-abortion legislation and described the Kansas Supreme Court’s 2019 ruling on the right to terminate a pregnancy as a “travesty.”
As they made good on that promise, advocates for reproductive health rights pointed to the August 2022 referendum as a clear indication of how voters felt. Republicans have now adopted that language as their own.
Stiens says on her website that “Kansans spoke loud and clear” in August 2022. Turner on his website says “the people of Kansas voiced their opinion on this issue in 2022.”
Ace Allen, a Democrat who is challenging Turner, said the Republican is “parsing his language.”
“Turner’s words on his website do not match his votes,” Allen said. “And in making laws, only the votes matter.”
The GOP messaging was made clear on Friday during a weekly private call between House Majority Leader Chris Croft and Johnson County Republicans. Kansas Reflector obtained video from the invite-only Zoom meeting.
During the meeting, Rep. Patrick Penn, a Wichita Republican, reported on what he was hearing as he went door-to-door in support of Croft in his Overland Park district.
Penn said his advice for Croft — “and I think this is pretty good messaging for all of the candidates in the region here” — was to let people know “that you honor the will of the voters, as expressed in August of 2022.”
This story was originally published by the Kansas Reflector.
