By Sherman Smith | editor-in-chief
Good morning! We hope to see some of you Tuesday night in Hiawatha when opinion editor Clay Wirestone will join a discussion on the upcoming ballot question on electing Supreme Court justices. Clay’s column below also examines on the topic.
Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector
OPINION
Four years after ‘Value Them Both,’ Kansas abortion rights are back on the ballot Aug. 4
By Clay Wirestone
It’s all about abortion.
It’s always been all about abortion.
The constitutional amendment calling for popular elections of Kansas Supreme Court justices has one central motivation: Allowing Republican officials to limit or ban abortion. And I will go out on a limb and predict that if the measure passes, elected justices will eventually sustain such limits or bans.
Yes, Kansans voted on abortion rights back in 2022. Yes, the subject has come up again, this time clothed in ever-more confusing language.
Both anti-abortion residents and abortion-right supporters should take a few minutes to understand how we got here, a mere four years after “Value Them Both” went down in flames. We all deserve straightforward truth about the amendment, not political spin. While I might not be the biggest fan of Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach, at least he didn’t run for the office claiming to be Ben Affleck.
And this amendment, while claiming to revere democracy, could well lead to a total abortion ban in a state that just rejected such restrictions.
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Food stamp changes will cost states billions, raising fears about SNAP’s future
Upcoming funding shifts in the federal food stamp program are poised to cost states billions of dollars, heightening fears that more Americans will lose access to the nation’s largest food assistance program.
Last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act made major changes to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP, including new eligibility and work requirements. Already, more than 4 million Americans have lost SNAP benefits, putting more pressure on food banks and food pantries across the country.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Kansas Reflector staff will participate in the following free public forums.
6:30 p.m. July 14, Morrill Public Library in Hiawatha. Editor Sherman Smith will lead a discussion with opinion editor Clay Wirestone, Natalie Haag and Kevin Hill on the proposed constitutional amendment to elect Kansas Supreme Court justices. Host: Brown County United.
5:30 p.m. July 23, Emporia Arts Center. Editor-in-chief Sherman Smith will lead a discussion on the proposed constitutional amendment to elect Kansas Supreme Court justices. Host: Kansas Appleseed. Register here.
2 p.m. Sept. 27, Red Rocks Visitor Center in Emporia. Host: Red Rocks.
If you're interested in having us talk in your town, email Sherman Smith at [email protected].
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