By: NICOLAS FIERRO
Salina Post
On Friday, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for the protection of human life, stopped by Salina during their inaugural traveling memorial/tour, "AFTERMATH."
Kansans For Life launched AFTERMATH back in 2019, after the Hodes & Nauser v. Schmidt decision at the Kansas Supreme Court.
In 2015, the KS Legislature enacted Senate Bill 95, which banned the use of the dilation & evacuation (D & E) abortion procedure (a common second‑trimester method). A lawsuit was filed against the state in 2019 to argue that the KS Constitution "protects a woman's right to an abortion" and the bill "violates that right," because it prevents physicians from using the safest procedure for most second-trimester abortions.
The decision made, was the Kansas Constitution protects a woman's right to abortion and that it was substantially likely Senate Bill 95 violated that right.
Since then, Kansans for Life provided the numbers of abortions in the state alone:
- 2019: 6,916
- 2020: 7,542
- 2021: 7,849
- 2022: 12,318
- 2023: 19,467
Kansans for Life Director of Communications, Mackenzie Ayers stated the whole point of the tour is to "present the facts."
"The reason we are doing this, is to present the facts and show what is happening here in Kansas," Ayers said. "Alot of people are unaware that this is happening, and AFTERMATH helps shed light on an often hidden reality."
Ayers added, though many people won't agree with their campaign, they still will do whatever it takes to support women.
"Someone may not agree, they may not be pro-life, but we support women and women deserve full information before an abortion is performed on her," she said. "We want to change hearts and minds, because we believe that we are in a cultural battle."
The tour invites and encourages people to have a respectful conversation, concerning the topic of abortion.
Becky Norlin, Co-Founder of Central Kansas Activists, attended the event along with others to protest on the parking lot of Jerry Ivey Park. She gave her comments on where she stands with abortion.
"Every woman should have a choice and there is no right or wrong that we can decide for anybody else," she said.
Norlin added that teaching about sex-education in schools is important for people to prevent abortions.
"Who would not want less abortions? No woman wants to make that decision. That is a very cruel and hard decision, and so women should be supported through that," she said. "If we can lessen abortions through education, ensuring child care is provided, housing stability, food and being secure for these children, that is pro-life."
Representative for the 69th District, Clark Sanders made an appearance at the event to support Kansans for Life. Sanders said he is very active in pro-life legislation in Topeka and is advocating for direct election of Kansas Supreme Court Justices.
"There is a big initiative to change the way we choose the members of the Supreme Court (Kansas)," Sanders said. "I am advocating for direct election of Supreme Court Justices. We need to get our Supreme Court changed in Kansas and the only we can do that, is to figure out a new way to get Justices on the Supreme Court. That will be good for alot of things, not the least of which would be for pro-life causes."
The AFTERMATH tour will continue their traveling memorial on October 10 in Chanute. Afterwards, they will head to Basehor on October 18 and end in Ark City, October 25.
For more information about AFTERMATH, click here.