Schmidt Touted Supreme Court’s Decision To Overturn Roe v. Wade, Calling Roe “Egregiously Wrong From The Start.” According to Schmidt’s official press release, “Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt issued the following statement in relation to today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization: ‘Today’s landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court was the right one because as a matter of constitutional interpretation, as the Court writes, ‘Roe was egregiously wrong from the start.’ Now, the Court explains, ‘The permissibility of abortion, and the limitations upon it, are to be resolved like most important questions in our democracy: by citizens trying to persuade one another and then voting.’” [Attorney General Derek Schmidt, 6/24/22]
Schmidt Said He Preferred A Future Kansas With “Less Abortion, Not More”
Schmidt Called For “Less Abortion, Not More.” According to Schmidt’s official press release, “Today’s decision means the power and responsibility to decide the important and difficult questions involving regulation of abortion have been returned to the people instead of federal judges. The people of Kansas will speak directly to this subject in less than six weeks. In voting on the Value Them Both amendment, Kansans will decide whether state judges may determine how abortion is regulated in Kansas or whether that is a responsibility for the elected and democratically accountable branches of state government. ‘In my view, the increase in the number of abortions in Kansas the past two years after a long period of steady decline is distressing. I prefer a future with less abortion, not more. To preserve existing limits on late-term abortions, requirements parents be notified when minors seek abortion, and prohibitions on using taxpayer funds to pay for abortion.’” [Attorney General Derek Schmidt, 6/24/22]
Schmidt Called For Placing Restrictions On Abortion Later In Pregnancy. According to Schmidt’s official press release, “‘In my view, the increase in the number of abortions in Kansas the past two years after a long period of steady decline is distressing. I prefer a future with less abortion, not more. To preserve existing limits on late-term abortions, requirements parents be notified when minors seek abortion, and prohibitions on using taxpayer funds to pay for abortion, I will join with other pro-life Kansans in casting my vote for Value Them Both. On August 2, the people will speak and their voice will show the path forward for Kansas.’” [Attorney General Derek Schmidt, 6/24/22]
Schmidt Stood For Parental Notification On Minors Seeking Abortions. According to Schmidt’s official press release, “‘In my view, the increase in the number of abortions in Kansas the past two years after a long period of steady decline is distressing. I prefer a future with less abortion, not more. To preserve existing limits on late-term abortions, requirements parents be notified when minors seek abortion, and prohibitions on using taxpayer funds to pay for abortion, I will join with other pro-life Kansans in casting my vote for Value Them Both. On August 2, the people will speak and their voice will show the path forward for Kansas.’” [Attorney General Derek Schmidt, 6/24/22]
Schmidt Said He Voted “Yes” To The Constitutional Abortion Amendment Which Would Have Let The State Legislature Impose Regulations On Abortion. According to KSNT, “Politicians in the state have stayed silent since last week’s vote. However, for the first time, in an interview with Kansas Capitol Bureau, Republican Candidate for Governor Derek Schmidt, shared where he stands. ‘I’m a pro-life Kansan, and Kansans had to show the direction forward. They did show that,’ Schmidt said. ‘I think that discussion’s going to continue.’ In an interview before the abortion vote, Schmidt said he was ‘voting yes.’ He also said a ‘top priority’ would be reinstating laws that are ‘already on the books,’ like a dismemberment abortion ban. The ban on the procedure, which is commonly used for abortions in the second trimester, was struck down in 2019.” [KSNT, 8/10/22]
Schmidt Attempted To Tamp Concerns Over Constitutional Abortion Amendment, Said In Opinion The Amendment Would Not Effect Medical Care For Patients With Life Threatening Pregnancies. According to ABC News, “Kansas' attorney general is trying to get ahead of arguments that an anti-abortion measure up for a statewide vote next week would hinder medical care for patients with life-threatening pregnancies. Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican running for governor who supports the measure, argues in a legal opinion issued Friday that treating miscarriages, removing dead fetuses and ending ectopic pregnancies do not fall under Kansas' legal definition of abortion. The proposal on the ballot Aug. 2 would amend the Kansas Constitution to allow the Legislature to further restrict or ban abortion. It's the first referendum on abortion policy by a state since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month. […] ‘Nor would it affect a physician’s ability to render care for ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages or fetal demise,’ the opinion states.” [ABC News, 7/25/22]