Author Spotlight
Avery Anderson
The Kansas House of Representatives rejected House Bill 2181 — made to completely ban abortion in the state of Kansas — on Jan. 25 after Republican lawmakers proposed it on the same day.
The bill would have banned abortion in all cases including rape, incest and maternal health risks. It did not include regulations on the sale of contraceptives or birth control.
The bill also aimed to convict people who performed an “unlawful performance of an abortion” with level 1 person felony, making them subject to either prison or probation.
Kansas Rep. Brett Fairchild was a public supporter of the bill who, despite pro-life beliefs, supports the sale of birth control and contraceptives as he doesn’t equate those to an abortion.
According to Fairchild, he co-sponsored the bill to fulfill promises he made to his district when he was elected as well as to protect babies both born and unborn.
“I co-sponsored it partly because when I ran for office I told my constituents that I would introduce a bill to ban abortion,” Fairchild said.
According to Fairchild, the introduction of the bill was timed around other bills that would create controversy in the House so House Bill number 2181 would be overshadowed by the others.
House Bill 2181 will most likely not be brought up again considering it’s the most extreme abortion ban bill to be proposed to date, according to KCUR.
“I tend to co-sponsor a lot of bills that aren’t successful,” Fairchild said. “[They] maybe go a little farther than some people are willing to go.”
Fairchild’s theory that his harsh bills typically aren’t supported even by people with pro-life ideas is backed by students at East. Sophomore Maggie Wells — a pro-choice supporter — calls bills banning abortion completely unconstitutional.
“Bills like these are very unconstitutional because they’re very harsh,” Wells said, “Having an abortion, especially for a medical concern, is a necessity.”
Similarly, sophomore Lillly Greenstein feels that abortion should be kept legal everywhere and not a political topic.
“The government shouldn’t be trying to regulate people’s bodies at all,” Greenstein said.
Although this bill’s extremity made it unfavorable to most state representatives, some people believe that abortion and birth control rights have no place in government.
“Every person who has the ability to get pregnant should be able to choose what they want to do with their body,” senior Libby McShane said.
McShane finds hope in the idea that with more of her generation leaning towards pro-choice ideas — linked to the influence of social media according to McShane — that bills like this will become less common. She says that social media platforms tend to lean more towards democratic ideas which influence the next generation of voters.
“I think we are being influenced a lot by social media which from what I’ve seen it’s mostly a democratic tool,” McShane said.
Despite the rejection of House Bill 2181, its proposal is sparking ideas for similar bills and ideas in the House. However, plans for these future bills have Wells worried.
“[The possibility of a bill banning abortion getting passed] definitely does scare me a lot,” Wells said. “I feel like there is a potential that it could be banned and also abortion being banned in so many other states is so scary to think about.”
Despite the possibility of a future bill banning abortion being passed, some students voiced that they wouldn’t let the government take away their right to abortions.
“No government or man or older woman should tell me what I can and cannot do with my body,” McShane said.
Despite House Bill 2181 being rejected by the Kansas House of Representatives, it’s still alive for the next two years meaning it could be brought back if Gov. Laura Kelly overrides the decision.
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