Does Schmidt really respect Kansans’ votes to keep abortion legal? | Commentary

Reproductive freedom advocates have warned the public for years about threats to our constitutional right to abortion. The Dobbs v. Jackson decision in June that overturned Roe v. Wade proved we weren’t crying wolf then, nor are we now.

Derek Schmidt is an extreme, anti-reproductive rights politician who will prioritize his own gain over protecting the fundamental rights of Kansans.

Do not be fooled by his attempts to wear the disguise of a common-sense moderate. See him for the wolf in sheep’s clothing he truly is.

Just look no further than the recent endorsement of Schmidt by former President Donald Trump.

Trump doesn’t spell out a case for Schmidt the moderate. Instead, he praises Schmidt’s strongman stance on issues extremist politicians have long used to grasp for power by implementing policies that disproportionately harm Black, indigenous and people of color, immigrants, and those struggling to make ends meet.

The Trump endorsement promises, “many great victories coming up” and guarantees that, as soon as [Schmidt] gets elected, “you know what he wants to do…he’s going to be a governor like few others.”

Schmidt surely would be a governor “like few others,” which must be why fellow Republicans, including former governors of Kansas, are supporting his opponent, Gov. Laura Kelly. The list of endorsements for Kelly includes many leaders who know what it takes to represent Kansans and who – regardless of party affiliation – do not trust Schmidt to run the state.

Trump isn’t the only hardliner in Schmidt’s conservative pack. In the last two months, Schmidt has campaigned with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, telling a Johnson County audience he’d like to make Kansas like DeSantis’s Florida. There, DeSantis-backed policies like a ban on abortion and “Don’t Say Gay” have threatened the health and lives of pregnant women and LGBTQ+ youth.

He’s also campaigned with former Vice President Mike Pence, who as governor of Indiana relentlessly attacked LGBTQ+ rights and sexual and reproductive health. When the Supreme Court eliminated our federal constitutional right to abortion this summer, Pence told an audience of ultraconservative activists that they, “must not rest and must not relent,” until abortion is outlawed in every state in the country.

When he’s had the chance to speak directly to Kansas voters about where he stands on our reproductive freedom, Schmidt has given vague and misleading responses.

Just weeks after Kansans rejected the constitutional amendment to eliminate abortion rights, Schmidt said, “voters have decided . . . which does not mean the discussion has ended.” But taken with his decision to stand proudly with politicians like Trump, DeSantis, and Pence, whose careers are dedicated to exerting control over our bodies and lives, his statement is damning.

Kansans were the first in the country to vote on abortion after Roe was overturned, and their message was overwhelmingly clear: the state does not belong in our private health care decisions.

When Schmidt tries to talk over that very simple fact, he’s not just stubbornly sticking to his anti-abortion beliefs. He is huffing, and puffing, and preparing to blow down not just our reproductive rights, but every right in our democracy.

We need a leader who will genuinely respect the will of voters, represent Kansas’ values, and protect our rights.

Kelly has been a clear and consistent defender of reproductive rights during her two decades in public office.

In her first year as governor she stood up to extremist politicians, vetoing a bill that she accurately saw as, “unnecessary legislation that would interfere with the relationship between women and their physicians.”

Derek Schmidt’s extreme politics are out of step with Kansans, and Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes PAC is proud to endorse Laura Kelly for Governor.

Kourtney Vincent-Woodbury is Vice President of Equity and Community Relations for Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes PAC.