April 29, 2024
There’s an old political adage that says to “follow the money.” In the case of Kansas Gov., Laura Kelly, we can follow the money (or rather lack thereof) to see what her priorities are. According to reporting from the Kansas Reflector: “Gov. Laura Kelly sliced tens of millions of dollars from the state budget through a series of line-item vetoes, striking out funding to deploy the Kansas National Guard to the Mexico border, support for [pro-life] programs, and another earmark for Emporia State University’s enrollment-cratering ‘model.’
The Legislature could vote to override any of the governor’s vetoes if two-thirds of the members of both chambers want to do so.”
Sadly, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Gov. Kelly, a pro-abortion Democrat who vetoed pro-life legislation previously, has done so again. Just as recently as last week, Kelly House Bill 2436 which “would create the felony crime of engaging in physical, financial or documentary coercion to compel a girl or woman to end a pregnancy despite an expressed desire to carry the [baby] to term.”
However, this veto of funding for pregnancy centers and pro-life programs is especially egregious – and based upon completely spurious arguments. According to the article: “[Governor Kelly] rejected a $2 million earmark for the Pregnancy Compassion Awareness Program, saying it is inappropriate to provide taxpayer funding for unregulated [pregnancy centers] that have no medical credentials.”
The argument that Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRC) are unregulated or lacking proper credentials is a common myth from the pro-abortion left. First, there are two types of PRCs. The first is not like a medical clinic, and doesn’t pretend to be, and offers free basic pregnancy testing and ultrasound services. They also provide parenting classes, counseling, baby supplies, financial job, and job assistance – all for free.
The second type is medical and licensed facilities that operate under the direction of an M.D. The services provided vary based on the clinic, but they also offer ultrasounds, prenatal exams, STD testing and more.
PRCs do utilize volunteers – just like Planned Parenthood and the vast majority of American non-profits. Yet, those volunteers also take training from credentialed medical staff to ensure they are qualified to assist women in whatever way they choose to volunteer.
Below are some other facts about Pregnancy Resource Centers:
- 2,752 center locations nationwide provide vital services including medical services, parenting programs, and sexual risk avoidance education.
- More than seven in 10 locations offer free ultrasounds (up 24% since 2010).
- 400,100 hours of free services were contributed by credentialed nurse sonographers and registered diagnostic medical sonographers in 2017.
- 30,000 contacts per month reach Heartbeat International’s Option Line hotline and email/chat lines.
- 67,400 volunteers serve pregnancy centers, including an estimated 7,500 medical professionals who freely give of their time and skills.
- Centers carried out 679,600 free pregnancy tests in 2017.
- 24,100 after-abortion support clients were seen in 2017. Services include support, counseling, and referral to professional help when appropriate for both women and men.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTERS, CLICK HERE.
But even the decision to strip funding away to deploy the Kansas National Guard to assist at the out-of-control southern border is reflective of the Democrat Party’s current values. Since 2021, when Joe Biden took office, there have been over eight million illegal border crossings with currently almost no end in sight. However, many state Governors have sent National Guardsmen to supplement the beleaguered Border Patrol Agencies.
The Democrats focus on abortion, and the desire to expand or maintain its scope, is part of their election strategy to shift the focus away from Joe Biden’s flailing Presidential campaign and first term in the White House.
With abortion on the ballot in four states and facing signature collection campaigns in eight more, there’s little doubt that keeping the focus on abortion is a strategic get out the vote campaign for the pro-abortion movement and Democrats.
READ: Abortion IS on the Ballot: The Top Pro-Life Ballot Initiatives for 2024
Presently, Kansas allows abortion through 22 weeks – over five months into a pregnancy – making it among the most permissive states in America for abortion. But SFLAction is actively trying to move pro-life legislation in the state for many months now.
TO LEARN MORE, READ: Legislation Alert: SB 286 and HB 2492, To COMPLETELY Restrict Abortion in the State of Kansas