Submitted
WICHITA – Today an alliance of over 200 Kansas Medical and Mental Health Professionals has publicly issued a statement expressing support for the Value Them Both constitutional amendment.
At present, the group consists of more than 120 doctors, including nine OBGYNs, 70 family medicine physicians, and additional representatives from the fields of neurosurgery, cardiology, anesthesia, surgery, pediatrics, internal medicine, pathology, emergency medicine, and other essential specialties. Doctors of Pharmacy, nurses, and licensed psychotherapists and counselors round out the coalition. The coalition is expected to grow in coming weeks.
Dr. Kelly Byrd, a Kansas City-based pediatrician raised in Wichita, spoke on behalf of the coalition.
“We’re here to represent over 200 Medical and Mental Health Professionals in support of the Value Them Both Amendment,” said Byrd. “We came together through colleague-to-colleague outreach because all of us share a dedication for caring for the physical health and emotional well-being of our patients. Together we’ve written an open letter to explain why passing the Value Them Both Amendment is vital to returning our state to a place where the abortion industry is not left unlimited or unregulated and should not be allowed to police itself.”
Dr. Lisa Gilbert, a Wichita-based family physician providing full-spectrum primary care, including women’s health and obstetrics, said coalition members, “had become aware that an unprecedented Kansas Supreme Court decision in 2019 removed the legal foundation for decades of bipartisan-passed, common-sense laws regulating abortion practices.”
“The court decreed that virtually any limitation or regulation on abortion are presumed unconstitutional,” said Gilbert. “This sweeping 2019 ruling was then used to strike down basic protections for women, including standard inspection, safety, and sanitation requirements for abortion facilities. Sadly, Kansas is a destination for extreme abortions”
Mackenzie Haddix, spokesperson for the Value Them Both Coalition, which is leading statewide grassroots efforts to promote passage of the amendment, expressed appreciation for the group’s support.
“We know that highly-educated medical and mental health professionals are the most valued and respected voices when it comes to the health and well-being of women and children. We’re grateful for their support in solidarity with the Value Them Both Coalition and hundreds of thousands of Kansans who share the belief that women deserve better than to be left vulnerable to an unregulated abortion industry.”
The coalition welcomes others to join in support of the statement, by emailing [email protected]. Membership list is available to members of the media upon request.
The Value Them Both Coalition is made up of Kansas citizens and groups who believe every human life has value. We are committed to advocating across our state for the passage of the Value Them Both Amendment to ensure that Kansas can stop unlimited abortion from coming to our state and can continue to pass laws that put the health and safety of mothers and babies before the abortion industry. We are led by Kansans for Life, Kansas Catholic Conference, and Kansas Family Voice.
— Submitted