William Pelzel, age 99, of Catharine, Kansas, died Friday, November 1, 2019 at Hays Good Samaritan Society.
He was born April 27, 1920 in Catharine, one of eleven children to Leo and Sophia (Staab) Pelzel. He was a farmer and cattleman and also worked for Schwaller’s Lumber and did construction work. He previously worked in the oilfield and in the CC Camps. On May 19, 1941 he was united in marriage to Albertine Windholz in Emmeram, Kansas. They were married over 56 years before she preceded him in death on December 14, 1997. He was a member of St. Catherine Catholic Church and the Eagles Lodge, and he loved the farm, wheat, cattle, and his dogs. He enjoyed driving and looking at the fields, playing cards, fishing, training his dogs, polka and waltz dancing, music, playing the harmonica, and socializing and visiting. He was everybody’s favorite uncle and he appreciated his nephews, family, and friends helping him on the farm. He loved his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Survivors include three daughters; Clarita Dinkel and husband Melvin of Hays, Elsie Ewing and husband L.D. of Hays, and Karen Pelzel and fiance Ray Irvin of Ellis, a brother; Jim Pelzel and wife Valeria of Wichita, seven grandchildren; Bill Dinkel of Hays, Chris Dinkel and wife Kim of Hays, Dane Ewing of Kansas City, KS, Cory Ewing of Hays, Holliann Stramel and fiance Trevor Calvin of Hays, Chase Stramel of Hays, and Clint Irvin of Hays, four great-grandchildren; Katie Dinkel, Joslyn Dinkel, Lincoln Calvin, and Briar Calvin, and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife Albertine, an infant son; Billy Pelzel, a granddaughter; Angela Ewing, two brothers; Leo and Alphonse Pelzel, and by seven sisters; Beatrice Haas, Alice Brungardt, Clara Hetzel, Irene Bollig, Edna Goetz, Marie Mermis, and Frances Koester.
Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 am on Tuesday, November 5, 2019 at St. Catherine Catholic Church in Catharine, Kansas with Fr. Earl Befort officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Visitation will be from 5:00 pm until 8:00 on Monday and from 8:30 am until 9:30 on Tuesday, all at the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 1906 Pine Street. A parish vigil service will be at 6:30 pm on Monday at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested to St. Catherine Cemetery or to Hospice of HaysMed, in care of the funeral home. Condolences and memories of William may be shared with the family at www.haysmemorial.com
Solomon Leiker, 99, Hays, formerly of Ellis, died Thursday, October 31, 2019 at Ascension Via Christi Village in Hays.
He was born July 30, 1920 in Ellis one of fourteen children of John and Suzanne (Dinkel) Leiker. He was a U.S. Army Veteran serving from 1942 until 1946 during World War II and an engineer for the City of Ellis for many years. On October 27, 1948 he was united in marriage to Pauline Boos in Hays, Kansas and they celebrated over 53 years of marriage before she preceded him in death on February 6, 2002. He was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ellis for many years.
Survivors include two sons; Keith Leiker of Ellis and Glenn Leiker and wife Dawne of Hays, a daughter; Janice Chambers of Hays, three grandchildren, three great grandchildren, three step-grandchildren, nine step-great-grandchildren, and 15 step-great-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife Pauline, five brothers; Fritz, Hank, Wilfred, Alex, and Ed Leiker, eight sisters; Isabella Unrein, Teckla Windholz, Agnes Wasinger, Mary Wiesner, Dorothy Augustine, Josephine Schmidt, Lucy Bixenman, and Annie Blanchard, a son-in-law; Glen Chambers, a grandson; Kenneth Chambers, and by a great-grandson; Cameron Chambers.
Funeral services will be at 10:00 am on Saturday, November 9, 2019 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ellis with Fr. Dana Clark officiating. Inurnment with military honors by the Hays VFW Honor Guard will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 9:00 am until service time on Saturday at the church. Memorials are suggested to Ascension Via Christi. Condolences and memories of Solomon may be left for the family at www.haysmemorial.com
Melinda “Mindy” Ann Fryback, 43 of Colby, passed away Thursday, October 31, 2019, at Hays Medical Center. She was born January 1, 1976, in Colby, KS to Gordon and Judy (Brown) Gilbert. Mindy married Jeffrey Fryback on February 2, 1996. She enjoyed hunting and fishing and especially loved spending time with her children and grandchildren.
Mindy is survived by her husband, Jeffrey Fryback, of Colby; parents, Gordon and Judy Gilbert, Colby; children, Hailey Fryback, Colby, Paige Fryback, Topeka, and Tayler Fryback, Colby; grandchildren, Lily Fryback and Hunter Beeck; brothers, Carl Gilbert, Kansas City, MO and Bobby (Whitney) Gilbert and their children, Braxton and Kaysen, Abilene, KS; mother-in-law, Penny Fryback, Colby; brother-in-law, Jason (Sharon) Fryback and their children, Holden, Kerigan, Makenna, Alana, Cimarron, KS; sister-in-law, Heather (Cornelio) Froese, and their children, Caitlynn, Jailynn, Brooklynn, Paylynn, Cimarron, KS.
A memorial service will take place at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 6, 2019, at Baalmann Mortuary, Colby. Memorials are suggested to Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 391, Colby, KS 67701 to help with funeral expenses. For more information or condolences visit www.baalmaanmortuary.com.
Frances Pauline (Mayhew) Veatch passed away on Friday, November 1, 2019, at the Red Bud Village in Plainville, KS, at the age of 101.
She was born on January 16, 1918 at the Mayhew farm in rural Rooks County to Ira and Sadie (Sollenberger) Mayhew. Frances was the 6th child and 4th daughter of Ira and Sadie. She attended West Plainville Grade School, having to walk 2 ½ miles to school, and graduated from Plainville High School in 1937. She then attended Crums Beauty School in Omaha, NE. Upon graduation in 1938, she returned to Plainville and began working for Georgie Rogers, along with Maime Dopita and Elveria Bieker.
On June 6, 1940, Frances and James “Millard” Veatch eloped at the Methodist Parsonage in Hays, KS. Frances continued to work until it became too difficult to drive back and forth from their rented farm south of Palco. She helped on the farm and they spent 71 years together until Millard passed away in Dec, 2011. They were blessed with three children: Jim, Eileen, and Ron.
Frances joined the Palco Canaan Chapel Church of the Nazarene in 1950. She was very active in the church serving as Young People’s President, Sunday school teacher, head steward, and on the board. She loved to crochet, make afghans, and hanger covers for the family.
As a servant of her Lord, all the days of her life, Frances touched many lives, always reaching out to help others. As a loving, caring mother, her family was second only to God; and although she has now gone home to be with her Lord, her memories, and kind and caring ways will live on in our hearts for all eternity.
Left to cherish Frances’ memories are her sons James Veatch and wife Gina of Chula Vista, CA and Ron Veatch and wife Suzanne of Palco; daughter Eileen Parks and husband Gary of Ellis; six grandchildren, Mike (Peaches) Veatch of Riverside, CA, Nicole (Joseph) Redd of Salina, Colleen (Todd) Nieman of Mujor, Tim (Katie) Parks of Washington, DC, Larisa (Shawn) Roy of Palco, and Troy (Sara) Parks of Great Bend; seven great-grandchildren, Quinton, Emily, Meagan, Anneliese, Brett, Raylyn, and Jasper; and sister-in-law Ruby Gilbert of Topeka.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Ira and Sadie; brothers, Paul, Howard, and Jack Mayhew; and sisters, Verda Pendergrass, Lenore Gibson, and Peggy Tucker.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, at 10:30 am at the Nazarene Church in Plainville. Burial will follow in the Pleasantview Cemetery in Palco. Visitation will be held Monday 2:00 pm until 8:00 pm with the family receiving friends 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to Nazarene Church and may be sent in care of Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, 320 SW 2nd, Plainville, KS 67663.
Gloria Ann Jayne, age 76, of Ellis, Kansas passed away Sunday, November 3, 2019 at Trego Lemke Memorial Hospital in WaKeeney, Kansas.
Funeral services will be 10:00 AM Wednesday, November 6, 2019 with a rosary service at 9:30 AM at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ellis. Inurnment will follow in the church cemetery.
A complete obituary is pending with Keithley Funeral Chapel 400 E. 17th Ellis, KS 67637.
Condolences may be left by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or by email at [email protected].
Because John was processing his first accident report at the transport company where he worked, he was being particularly attentive.
The driver had hit a deer on the highway, and the result was a severely damaged hood and fender. John’s serious mood was broken, however, when he reached the section of the report that asked, “Speed of other vehicle?”
Darrell Henry “Hank” Hays Jr., 66, of Alton, KS died on October 29, 2019 at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, KS.
Hank was born on September 5, 1953 in Osborne, KS, the son of Darrell H., Sr., & Shirley (Campbell) Hays. He grew up in the rural Natoma, KS area and graduated from Natoma High School in 1971. Hank worked for area farmers during high school and was a member of Belleview 4-H Club and FFA. For a brief time after high school, he worked as a custom cutter and at a gas station only to return to his Dad’s farming operation north of Natoma. Hank was a 4th generation farmer. He raised cattle, sheep, donkeys, pigeons, geese, and a host of other animals through the years.
After suffering a brain tumor and the loss of his Dad, he slowed his farm operation down to just livestock and recreational farming. He would spend his time watching his favorite show, FOX News or sports and caring for his animals. He would rescue dogs that were elderly, ill, or homeless. His loving care gave them all more time on earth such as Baby & Stroker, his dachshunds who he took in which were given 6 months to live. They lasted 3 additional years. He was given 2 pitbull puppies which he promptly named Baby George & George. They became his full time companions. With the passing of Baby George, Hank & George became inseparable until July, 2018 when he had to leave their home due to his failing health, Hank moved to Wellington Health & Rehab in Wellington, KS and later Westview Manor of Derby, KS where he lived until he passed away.
Hank is survived by a brother, Terry Hays, Natoma; sisters, Linda (Phill) Martin, Great Bend; Marsha (David) Erickson, Wellington; and Stephanie(David Austin) Massier, Palco. He has 6 nieces and 4 nephews and several great nieces & nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents, a sister, Sheri, and his beloved companions, Baby George & George.
A celebration of Darrell’s life will be on Monday, November 4th at 11:00 am at the United Methodist Church in Natoma, Kansas. Visitation & viewing is from 9:30 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. the day of service at the church. Burial will follow at the Natoma Cemetery. Pohlman, Varner & Peeler Mortuary of Russell and Natoma, Kansas are in charge of the services
Memorials will be with K9 Karma Animal Advocates, an animal rescue non-profit. Donations in memory of Hank may be sent either on their website, k9karmarescue.org or mail to: K9 Karma, 809 Harding St., Wichita, KS 67208
Nancy Louise (Helsel) Strain passed away peacefully on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019 in Wichita, Kan. with her family by her side. She was 66 years old. Nancy was born to Dale and Louise (Corn) Helsel on Feb. 16, 1953, in Great Bend, Kan.
Nancy was a loving mother, daughter, sister, grandmother and friend. Her favorite things in life were her grandkids and of course Bingo. She will be dearly missed by all.
Nancy is survived by her daughter, Megan (Brenton) Heine, Great Bend, Kan.; stepmother, Rosina Helsel, Great Bend, Kan.; siblings, Michael Wilson, Wichita, Kan., Jerry Helsel, Topeka, Kan., Gerry (Leslie) Helsel, Great Bend, Kan., and Debra (Marty) Shank, Great Bend, Kan., grandchildren, Bradley Heine and Paige Heine, both of Great Bend, Kan. She was preceded in death by her parents and her three siblings, Terry Momyer, Mike Helsel, and Pat Davidson.
Memorial services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Friday, November 8, 2019, at Bryant Funeral Home with Pastor Wade Russell presiding. Inurnment will be in the Great Bend Cemetery North. Memorials are suggested to the Nancy Strain Funeral Expense Fund, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
June Marie Yahne, 79, passed away November 3, 2019, at Wesley Medical Center, Wichita. She was born on June 5, 1940 at Great Bend, to Wesley & Thelma (Reineck) Skinner. She married Ralph Yahne on September 21, 1957, at Great Bend. He survives.
A lifetime Great Bend resident, June was a homemaker. She enjoyed camping and fishing but especially loved spending time with her family.
Survivors include, her husband Ralph of the home; two sons, Gary Yahne of Olmitz and William Yahne of Great Bend; one daughter, Nanette Yahne of Colony, TX; two sisters, Carol Larkin and husband Bill of Enid, OK, and Ersel Tiede of Great Bend; and one grandson, Brian Keen. She was preceded in death by her parents; four brothers; and three sisters.
There will be no visitation at this time and services will be held at a later date. Memorials are suggested to the June Yahne Funeral Expense Fund, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
Maurice Charles Schwartz, 92, passed away November 1, 2019, after battling cancer for three years, at Woodhaven Care Center, Ellinwood. He was born on April 17, 1927, at St. Leo, Kansas to William & Martha (Blasi) Schwartz. He married Bernita Marie Pfeifer July 29, 1947 at Liebenthal. She died March 22, 2012.
A Great Bend resident for most of his life, Maurice grew up in St. Leo, Kansas. He was a carpenter for Morrison Construction for 21 years, and was self-employed for many years after he left Morrison Construction. He was a member of Prince of Peace Parish at St. Patrick Catholic Church and was very strong in his faith. He was also a member of the VFW Post #3111 and served in the United States Navy during World War II. He was considered a master carpenter, building several houses and also built a race car and boat.
He is survived by seven sons, Robert Schwartz and wife Barbara of Great Bend, Duane Schwartz of Grand Island, NE, Danny Schwartz and wife Stacy of Great Bend, Bill Schwartz and wife Jaynee of Great Bend, Kenny Schwartz and wife Dawn of Wichita, Kevin Schwartz of Great Bend and Keith Schwartz and wife Kay of Salina; three daughters, Kathy Pedigo and husband Don of Great Bend, Elaine Miller and husband Craig of McPherson, and Pam Stegman and husband Tom of Yukon, OK; one sister, Edith Keeler of Great Bend; 29 grandchildren; 45 great grandchildren; 3 great great grandchildren; 3 step grandchildren; 9 step great grandchildren; and 4 step great great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, B. Marie Schwartz; one daughter in law, Diane Schwartz; two brothers, Rheinard Schwartz and Arthur Schwartz; four sisters, Rosalynn Henning, Lydia Weber, Sally Gregg, and Marcelline Suchy; and two great grandchildren, Matthew Kearn and Faith Hitts.
Visitation will be held from 1:00 to 9:00 p.m., Monday, November 4, 2019, at Bryant Funeral Home, with Vigil service at 7:00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, November 5, 2019, at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Great Bend, with Father Don Bedore presiding. Interment will be in Hillcrest Memorial Park, Great Bend. Memorials are suggested to Prince of Peace Parish, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
The director of the community mental health center for northwest Kansas is concerned the closure of acute care psychiatric beds in Hays will create a barrier to treatment in western Kansas.
Children in western Kansas will have to travel as much as four to five hours one way to receive in-patient acute care.
Walt Hill, High Plains Mental Health director, said the closure of the only beds in western Kansas was breaking a promise made when those services were privatized 10 years ago.
Andy Brown, commissioner for Behavioral Health Services for the Kanas Department for Disability Services, said the closure of the acute care beds in not ideal, but children in Kansas have been traveling long distances for decades to receive treatment.
KVC has cited changes in Centers for Medicaid and Medicare regulations and issues with the space it rents at the Hadley Center for the closure. However, Brown said the decision to close the beds with made by KVC and was based on finances.
The acute care beds at KVC Hospital-Hays were the only acute care beds for youth in western Kansas. These placements were short-term stays for youth who are dangerously suicidal, aggressive or have made threats to hurt others.
Youth from Hays and western Kansas are being placed as far away as Denver, Kansas City or Kearney, Neb. New acute care psychiatric beds just opened in Wichita. However, Hill said it was his understanding that all the beds in Wichita have not opened yet.
Hill said the transportation of the children is complicated, because some of these children are threatening to jump out of vehicles, which makes parents frightened to transport the kids so far.
Hill also expressed concern the barrier of distance from treatment might discourage caregivers from seeking treatment for children or delay them from seeking treatment for kids.
Placing children so far from home might also interfere with their treatment, Hill said.
“It will be harder to do the type of family care that is needed often when children are in a psychiatric hospital,” he said. “How can you work with the family when the child and the treatment team is in Kansas City or Denver or Kearney or Topeka as opposed to here, relatively close by?”
HPMH has a 20-county catchment basin in northwest Kansas and refers 180 youth per year to acute psychiatric treatment. KVC-Hays’ catchment area includes all of western Kansas. Hill said Garden City has already had to send youth to Kansas City.
KVC had operated both a psychiatric residential treatment facility and acute care beds out of the Hadley Center in Hays since 2010. KVC, a nonprofit, was awarded a contract to provide youth acute care when the state closed juvenile acute care beds at Larned State Hospital. Juvenile psychiatric care is now privatized across the state.
In 2017, Brown said KDADS was informed that CMS was no longer going to allow residential treatment and acute care treatment to operate under the same license.
During a Joint Legislative Budget hearing on Oct. 2, Brown said CMS rules had been in place for a number of years, but Brown said KDADS was enforcing the rule now “because I am aware of it now,” and KVC had operated despite these rules by the “Grace of God.”
In that hearing, Brown said one of the concerns about commingling residential and acute care children was acute care children had become aggressive in the past and hurt residential children. However, he said he did not know an exact number.
KVC said none of these incidents had occurred at KVC.
KDADS sent a letter to KVC in February saying it would have to split the residential and acute care programs by April 2019. It did so, but opted to close the acute care beds in October and announced it would convert those beds to residential beds in the near future.
In its announcement of the closing of the acute care beds, KVC said it needed $1 million in renovations to keep the acute care beds open and suggested “legislators could create a line item in the governor’s budget, similar to funding provided for adult state psychiatric hospitals, that would assist with overhead costs and KVC would be open to exploring that as a sustainable operation.”
Hays Post asked KVC what specific renovations were needed and why these infrastructure needs had not been an issue earlier.
KVC responded, “The Class 1 psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF) regulations allowed different parameters for a facility than what is required to operate a standalone acute unit. Standalone acute units have higher levels of requirements.Over the past 10 years, we have made continuous enhancements to the space we lease in the Hadley Center to remain within compliance with these regulations and provide a safe and therapeutic environment for the children we serve.”
Hill, in his testimony at the budget hearing, said he was told there was an issue with a ceiling in the area of the acute care facility that did not meet standards and could be a hanging hazard.
However, Brown in the budget hearing said, “It’s not a matter of accommodations. It’s a matter of finances.”
He went on to say later in the hearing, “You could put it in terms of billing, the amount coming into the facility to cover the cost of the care was not sufficient in the eyes of KVC, to continue the facility as a split facility.”
KVC in its response Hays Post said “KVC is not able to financially sustain a standalone acute hospital unit in the western region.”
Hays Post asked what factors made providing care in western Kansas unsustainable. The Post specifically asked about cost of staffing, Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates, and the possibility of the center not operating at capacity.
KVC avoided answering this question directly saying, “The dual license was an innovative and necessary way to meet the psychiatric needs of children in the less populated areas of rural and frontier western Kansas where census numbers tend to be lower. It provided flexibility to meet different levels of need in a way that was sustainable for nonprofit providers such as KVC Hospitals.”
KVC also was asked how much money would be required to provide a sustainable acute care facility in western Kansas, but KVC would not assign a number to this question.
Hays Post asked KVC about the issue of distance.
KVC responded “At KVC, we believe it is beneficial for children to receive treatment as close to their families and support systems as possible. This is why it has always been our intent to maintain the license we have held since 2010, allowing us to provide acute services to children from Hays and surrounding areas.
“To further that effort, we opened a new hospital in Wichita to expand access to acute services for families in southwestern Kansas, due to many of these counties being nearly equal distance to Hays and Wichita.”
Hill said if the private sector can’t sustain acute care beds in western Kansas, it is the responsibility and duty under the state constitution to provide them. He suggested reopening juvenile beds at Larned Stated Hospital. He said instead of giving $1 million to remodel the Hadley Center, he said he would rather that go to Larned.
“It has always been the role of the state to provide that safety net for adults and children in the state,” he said. “The community-based services have their role for those people who don’t need to be in a hospital. Some would say the constitution of the state requires the state to take care of the welfare of the folks at that kind of level and the safety of the communities.”
Hill was very involved in the process of privatization.
“When the beds were privatized some 10 years ago, the commitment was made that there would be beds to replace those state hospital beds in western Kansas. We spent a lot of time with policy makers and local legislators, the city, talking about that,” he said. “I was very involved in those discussions. What I understood was that there was a commitment and a promise when the beds at Larned were closed, we would keep beds in western Kansas in some form.”
In his phone interview with Hays Post on Friday, Brown said the state was interested in providing acute psychiatric services in western Kansas, but no plans were in the works to do so. He said the juvenile psychiatric services were privatized nine years ago, because it was not sustainable for the state to offer those services.
The state is working on other treatment options he hoped would help keep children out of acute care. This includes crisis lines, mobile crisis units, peer support networks for parents and families, screeners who could come into people homes and other programs through the Family First Preservation Act.
KVC has announced it intends to convert its acute-care beds to 50 PRTF beds. This type of treatment generally lasts 30 to 90 days and is for youth who have been stabilized.
Hill said he was pleased more PRFT beds will be coming online. Kansas has about 200 children on a waiting list for residential treatment with a wait time of about five months. When all the acute care beds in Wichita and residential beds in Hays become available, Hill said there should be a net increase in psychiatric beds for youth in the state.
However, Hill said residential care “is really not helpful in the kinds of situations we are talking about where a youngster is talking about hurting themselves or somebody else or just out of control.”
Hill said community mental health centers do all they can do to keep children out of acute care. However, he said some kids need to be in the hospital.
The CDC and public health and regulatory officials in several states including Kansas and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) are investigating a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Dublin infections linked to ground beef, according to an advisory issued by the Center for Disease Control.
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Ten people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Dublin have been reported in Kansas, California, Colorado, Texas, Iowa and Oklahoma.
According to the advisory illnesses in this outbreak are more severe than expected for Salmonella. A total of 8 people were hospitalized, including one death reported from California.
Epidemiologic and laboratory evidence indicate that ground beef is a likely source of this outbreak. A single, common supplier of ground beef has not been identified.
In interviews, ill people report eating different types and brands of ground beef purchased from many different locations.
Laboratory testing identified the outbreak strain of Salmonella Dublin in repackaged leftover ground beef collected from an ill person’s home in California.
This outbreak investigation is ongoing and CDC will update the public if more information becomes available.
TOPEKA — Abortion opponents appear divided on the best strategy to overcome the Kansas Supreme Court’s ruling that the state constitution guarantees a right to the procedure.
Two legislative committees, one most recently on Wednesday, have now recommended lawmakers take up the issue after they return in January. The stakes run high. Anti-abortion forces worry the ruling will knock down dozens of abortion restrictions already in Kansas law.
The divide comes over how far a proposed amendment should go. At a hearing Wednesday, some advocates said the state should approve what’s called a “personhood amendment” aimed at banning all abortions in Kansas.
“What the personhood amendment says is that we recognize the humanity of the unborn child from their earliest biological beginning,” said Bruce Garren, the chairman of Personhood Kansas.
Supporters of that approach contend that other strategies don’t go far enough. Garren said other responses would mire state abortion restrictions in ongoing legal fights.
Pat Goodson, a former lobbyist and founding member of Right to Life of Kansas, said lawmakers shouldn’t pursue any response that would allow some abortions to continue.
“I oppose any measure which would permit the taking of an innocent human life,” she said in testimony delivered to lawmakers. “A personhood amendment is the only way to legally counteract the evil of abortion.”
Some of the state’s largest groups fighting abortion want a simpler path, reversing the Supreme Court’s ruling by changing the Kansas Constitution to clarify it does not include a right to abortion.
Former state lawmaker Chuck Weber is now executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference. He likes the idea of a personhood amendment, but said it’s not a practical response.
“A personhood amendment just simply has no chance,” Weber said. “We live in a real world, and it’s not going to happen.”
A constitutional amendment is a high bar to overcome. It takes approval from two-thirds of both the Kansas House and Senate. Then the issue would go on a ballot for a statewide vote.
Even if a personhood amendment passed, it likely wouldn’t survive a court challenge, said Jeanne Gawdun, director of government relations with Kansans for Life.
“We’re interested in making a difference, and not just a statement,” Gawdun said.
Gawdun said lawmakers have made a difference by approving restrictions that reduced the number of abortions in Kansas. An amendment clarifying there’s no right to abortion could preserve those laws and the ability for lawmakers to approve more of them in the future.
A committee Wednesday recommended lawmakers take up the issue over the objections of Democrats on the panel.
Democratic Rep. Stephanie Clayton, who supports abortion rights, cast a constitutional amendment as radical. If voters don’t like court rulings, she said, they can ultimately vote judges off the bench during retention elections.
“You can’t always come crying to the Legislature asking them to change the constitution,” she said. “You vote out your justices. Those systems are already in place.”
Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which provides abortion and other health services, also said lawmakers shouldn’t take up the issue. Lobbyist Rachel Sweet said any amendment on abortion would discriminate against women.
“The fundamental right to personal and bodily autonomy is too critical to be stripped from our state constitution,” she said, “or put to a popular vote.”
The divide among anti-abortion forces over how to proceed with a constitutional amendment adds more difficulty to an already complex issue. The split could bog down the discussion or ultimately cause a constitutional amendment to fail.
“One could outweigh the other, or they could just…hurt each other’s causes,” Republican Rep. John Barker said. “But, both sides may agree to a compromise.”
Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio and the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. Follow him on Twitter@kprkoranda or email [email protected].
William Pelzel, age 99, of Catharine, Kansas, died Friday, November 1, 2019 at Hays Good Samaritan Society.
