Every Pro-Life bill Gov. Kelly has vetoed so far in 2024

Article/Abortion and Government

The Kansas Legislature is filled with prolife Republicans, and thus, Kansas tends to see many new prolife bills. Three of these bills have already been vetoed within the past two weeks. Here is what you need to know about these bills and the reasoning behind Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly’s vetoes:

HB 2749

Under this bill, abortion providers would have to ask each patient why they are seeking an abortion and then submit a written report biannually to the secretary of health and environment, providing the reasons for the abortions. In cases of emergencies, abortion providers would not have to ask for reasoning. Furthermore, those seeking an abortion would remain anonymous. Gov. Kelly vetoed the bill on Friday, April 12, giving the following statement:

“Kansans spoke loud and clear in August 2022. Voters do not want politicians getting between doctors and their patient by interfering in private medical decisions.

“House Bill 2749 is invasive and unnecessary. There is no valid medical reason to force a woman to disclose to the legislature if they have been a victim of abuse, rape, or incest prior to obtaining an abortion. There is also no valid reason to force a woman to disclose to the legislature why she is seeking an abortion.

“I refuse to sign legislation that goes against the will of the majority of Kansans who spoke loudly on August 2, 2022: Kansans don’t want politicians involved in their private medical decisions.”

Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins (R-Sedgwick County) responded to the veto, stating:

“Voluntary and anonymous data collection that even the Guttmacher Institute says can help ‘inform public debate and policy’ should not be suppressed by the Governor and her irrational fears of offending the for-profit pro-abortion lobby. As Kansas continues to see record numbers of abortions performed, House Republicans are committed to overriding the Governor’s veto to ensure KDHE is adequately equipped with relevant and up-to-date information.”

This bill had passed the House 81-39 on March 7 and passed the Senate 27-13 on March 26. To override the veto, the House will need 84 votes and the Senate will need 27. 

HB 2436

This bill would make it unlawful to coerce a woman into getting an abortion when she doesn’t want one. Gov. Kelly vetoed the bill on Friday, April 12, citing the following reason:

“While I agree that no one should be coerced into undergoing a medical procedure against their will, it is already a crime to threaten violence against another individual.

“Additionally, I am concerned with the vague language in this bill and its potential to intrude upon private, often difficult, conversations between a person and their family, friends, and health care providers. This overly broad language risks criminalizing Kansans who are being confided in by their loved ones or simply sharing their expertise as a health care provider.”

The bill passed the Senate 27-11 on March 27, and the House 82-37 on April 1.

“It’s a sad day for Kansas when the Governor’s uncompromising support of abortion won’t even allow her to advocate for trafficking and abuse victims who are coerced into the procedure,” Speaker Hawkins said in a statement. “Coercion is wrong, no matter the circumstance, and Laura Kelly’s veto is a step too far for common sense Kansans. House Republicans are ready to override her radical stance, help break these cycles of abuse, and protect Kansas women.”

HB 2465

The most recently vetoed prolife bill is HB 2465, which does a lot concerning taxation. The short title of the bill is ‘Enacting the adoption savings account act allowing individuals to establish adoption savings accounts with certain financial institutions, providing eligible expenses, requirements and restrictions for such accounts and establishing addition and subtraction modifications for contributions to such accounts under the Kansas income tax act, increasing the income tax credit amount for adoption expenses, establishing an income, privilege and premium tax credit for contributions to eligible charitable organizations operating pregnancy centers or residential maternity facilities and providing for a sales tax exemption for purchases by pregnancy resource centers and residential maternity facilities.’

Gov. Kelly vetoed the bill on April 19, giving the following statement:

“I do not believe it is appropriate to divert taxpayer dollars to largely unregulated crisis pregnancy centers. These entities are not medical centers and do not promote evidence-based methods to prevent unplanned pregnancies. This bill goes against the wishes of Kansans. On August 2, 2022, Kansas voters overwhelmingly signaled to politicians that they should stop inserting themselves between women and their private medical decisions.

“While some continue to meddle in Kansans’ personal lives, I remain committed to upholding the will of Kansas voters.”

This bill passed both the House 83-38 and Senate 29-10 on April 5.

“Adoption tax credits, adoption savings funds, and pregnancy resource centers all represent very real and needed support for Kansas women and families yet sadly the Governor vetoed these items today due to her uncompromising allegiance to abortion,” Speaker Hawkins said in a statement. “The pendulum has swung much too far when even adoption support is off the table and that’s why House Republicans will work to override her veto to ensure these resources are available for Kansas women and families.”

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