Kansas governor signs bill allowing transgender treatment for minors, preserving abortion access

On Friday, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly rejected legislation prohibiting transgender care for minors and enforcing strict abortion limits.

Senate Bill 233 aimed to prohibit transgender care for minors and enable legal action against healthcare providers who provided such care. Additionally, the bill would have limited the use of state funds for transgender treatment.

"Kelly, a Democrat, stated that the divisive legislation aimed at a small group of Kansans by imposing government mandates on them and dictating to parents how to raise and care for their children is not a conservative value and not a Kansas value."

Kelly stated that the legislation "infringes on parental rights," as she did not wish to act as a barrier "between a parent and a child requiring any kind of medical care."

Kelly stated that despite its intent, this legislation inadvertently achieves the opposite of its intended goal.

Kelly rejected two bills that would have tightened abortion restrictions across the state. HB 2749 would have mandated the reporting of abortions performed in the state, including the reasons behind the procedure, at a medical care facility or by a healthcare provider.

"Kelly stated that House Bill 2749 is unnecessary and invasive, as there is no medical reason to require women to disclose their past experiences of abuse, rape, or incest before obtaining an abortion. Additionally, Kelly argued that there is no justification for forcing women to reveal the reasons behind their abortion requests to the legislature."

HB 2436, which would have made coercion to obtain an abortion a crime, was vetoed by Kelly due to the bill's "vague language" and potential privacy concerns.

Kelly warned that the broad language of the law could lead to criminalizing Kansans who are sharing their expertise or simply being confided in by their loved ones as health care providers.

In 2022, Kansans rejected an amendment to their constitution that would have granted lawmakers control over abortion regulation. This vote occurred just after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark case that deepened the nation's divide on the issue of abortion.

Arizona recently reverted to a 160-year-old law that outlaws nearly all abortions and criminalizes them.

In 1913, when Arizona became a state, the law was codified with an exception for cases where the mother's life is endangered.

Planet Chronicle' Jamie Joseph and the Associated Press contributed to this report.