photo by: Lily O'Shea Becker

Hundreds gather to listen to speakers at a rally for reproductive rights on Saturday, June 4, 2022, at South Park.

About 1,600 people rallied in South Park on Saturday to show their support for reproductive rights — and to speak out against a proposed state constitutional amendment that would open the door to new restrictions on abortion.

The proposed amendment, which states that the Kansas Constitution does not guarantee a right to abortion, will be on the Aug. 2 primary ballot, and voters statewide will determine whether it passes. At Saturday’s rally, Douglas County Democratic Party Chair Pat Willer said Republican legislative leaders chose to put the amendment on the primary ballot because primaries typically have lower voter turnout than the general election.

Willer said that meant it was especially important for residents of Douglas County to make their voices heard.

“They are counting on you not showing up,” she said. “As the progressive bubble in Kansas, we have to lift up the state.”

The abortion debate has taken on more urgency since a draft U.S. Supreme Court decision was leaked earlier this year that suggested the court would reverse Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling which legalized abortion nationwide.

In Kansas, the proposed constitutional amendment itself would not ban abortions, but it would allow the Legislature to pass laws that would, said rally speaker Amii Castle, a University of Kansas law professor. The amendment was designed to invalidate a Kansas Supreme Court ruling that stated that abortion is a constitutional right in Kansas.

Castle said that conservative legislators were prepared to act if the amendment passed. She said conservative Republicans had already written a bill that would ban all abortions in Kansas, including in cases of rape or incest or to save the life of a mother.

“This is not a drill, folks,” Castle said. “That is why we are here today. If this passes, those politicians in Topeka will do just that.”

Speaker Melinda Lavon, a midwife, said she knew from experience that many women choose to end their pregnancies for health reasons. She also feared an abortion ban would put all pregnant women in legal jeopardy. Unexplained bleeding and miscarriages are a risk during pregnancy, and she worried that overzealous authorities could view those conditions as abortion attempts.

Lavon concluded with a point that other speakers at the rally also made: “An abortion ban won’t end abortions,” she said. “It will just end safe abortions.”

As the rally concluded with a march around South Park, Lana Grove, of Lawrence, said she wanted to ensure that her daughters, ages 18 and 20, could decide how to control their own bodies. She said she was confident voters would reject the amendment.

“I really think it’s going to fail,” Grove said. “There are enough people in Kansas against it.”

photo by: Lily O’Shea Becker

University of Kansas law professor Amii Castle speaks at a rally for reproductive rights on Saturday, June 4, 2022, at South Park.