HCR 5004, a measure to amend the Kansas Constitution to make safe, legal abortions illegal in Kansas, was introduced this week in the Kansas House of Representatives.
The MainStream Coalition believes women have a right to access healthcare without discrimination and have always supported a woman's right to make her own decisions about her reproductive health. We reject the divisive rhetoric of "pro-abortion" labels and support data-driven efforts to reduce abortion rates by improving access to comprehensive sex education as well as affordable family planning.
This resolution, a version of which has been introduced multiple times in the past eight years under Governors who would gladly have signed it, is introduced this year as a simple grandstanding measure designed not to actually decrease abortion rates, but to provide postcard and donation fodder for extremist politicians. If these legislators really wanted to reduce abortion rates, they would support expanded access to health care, expanded health education, more funding for public schools, higher wages, family leave, and any number of other policies that have been proven to reduce the rate of unwanted pregnancies.
Last year we made it clear to every Kansas legislator that MainStream could not support any legislator who moved to amend the Kansas Constitution on this and other issues. We stand by that statement.
