To the editor:

Now here is an interesting piece of news. The governor of Kansas has just vetoed legislation that would help protect viable, fully formed human babies capable of living outside the womb from being aborted.

The Kansas Constitution, the basic and highest law of the state, proclaims, “all men are possessed of equal and inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The term “men” as used in the Constitution is accepted to mean ALL human beings.

Therefore, the destruction of innocent human babies is intrinsically and constitutionally illegal. The state’s primary obligation and fundamental purpose is to protect human life and human rights. The inherent dignity and invaluable worth of human life give the state its reason for being. Preborns ARE human beings and, therefore, should be respected and protected by the law of the land. What difference is there if a baby’s status seconds before she emerges from the womb and seconds after she has emerged except that which the government and society assign to her?

The governor has claimed for herself nothing less than the authority to sanction the killing of innocent human life. Did she not solemnly pledge to uphold the Constitution and provide rights for ALL? It appears that she has lost touch with the fundamental principles our government was founded upon and has turned her back on the most helpless members of the human family.

Karyl Graves,

Lawrence