Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has vetoed a bill that seeks to ban gender-affirming care for Kansas children.
Senate Bill 63, also known as the Help not Harm Act, aims to prohibit for all children under the age of 18. Following her veto of the legislation, Governor Kelly stated “Right now, the Legislature should be focused on ways to help Kansans cope with rising prices. That is the most important issue for Kansans. That is where my focus is.”
The Governor would add that “Infringing on parental rights is not appropriate, nor is it a Kansas value. As I’ve said before, it is not the job of politicians to stand between a parent and a child who needs medical care of any kind. This legislation will also drive families, businesses, and health care workers out of our state, stifling our economy and exacerbating our workforce shortage issue.”
Several organizations have responded to the governor’s actions including the Alliance Defending Freedom, an American conservative Christian legal advocacy group. ADF Senior Counsel and Director for Public Policy Matt Sharp stated in a recent news release “We are disappointed by Gov. Kelly’s veto of SB 63, a law that protects vulnerable kids from radical gender ideology. By vetoing this critical legislation, Gov. Kelly ignored biological reality and the growing body of evidence about the damage that these drugs and surgeries inflict on children’s minds and bodies. Now and always, children who experience discomfort with their sex need the loving embrace of family, not risky drugs and life-altering procedures that send them down a one-way path of lifetime medicalization. We hope the Kansas Legislature will put the state’s children first and promptly override this veto.”
SB 63 passed the Kansas Senate on January 29 by a vote of 32-8 and the Kansas House on January 31 by a vote of 83-35. Local lawmakers stood on both sides of the issue with 17th District Senator Mike Argabright and 76th District Representative Brad Barrett voting in favor.
60th District Representative Mark Schreiber of Emporia voted against the measure after publicly speaking against the bill nearly two weeks ago.
