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☆ Inside the Trust Women abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas, which saw a spike in out-of-state patients after Roe was overturned
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

I met Kattie in the waiting room of the Trust Women abortion clinic. Finally, she looked north and found Trust Women in Wichita, Kansas, where I first met her on a drizzly November day. How Trust Women went from a catchphrase to a clinicTrust Women sits near a main road in Wichita, Kansas. 'Screw Texas'Kiernan, the director of nursing at Trust Women, has tattoos of plants that have been historically used as birth control. That has meant clinics like Trust Women receive a large number of out-of-state travelers, especially from southern neighbors like Oklahoma and Texas.

Persons: —, Kattie, she'd, Focht, Maiya, George Tiller, Tiller, Zack Gingrich, Gingrich, Gaylord, Roe, Wade, Kiernan, Texas, Dobbs, they're, I'm, telemedicine, Madison, Stormi, Kate Cox, Brittany Watts, Jennifer Kerns, Rachel O'Leary Carmona, Women's, Gaylor, Kerns, It's, O'Leary Carmona Organizations: Service, Business, Gaylord, Trust, Jackson, Health Organization, Trust Women, Texas Supreme, Centers for Disease Control, Women, University of California, OB Locations: Houston , Texas, Wichita , Kansas, Women's, Kansas, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, State, Dobbs, Texas, Madison, Kansans, Texas . Wichita, Houston, Wichita, Kentucky, Ohio, San Francisco, UCSF, Kattie

The House was scheduled to vote Thursday on a GOP plan for cutting income, sales and property taxes by a total of $1.6 billion over three years. Top Republicans want to impose a single personal income tax rate of 5.25%, replacing three rates that top out at 5.7%, starting in 2025. The dispute over the single-rate or “flat” plan blocked a large tax cut in Kansas last year, when a dozen other states cut taxes, according to the conservative-leaning Tax Foundation. Her income tax proposal would increase the standard deductions that all individual filers claim. Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said retaining an income tax with multiple rates would keep Kansas “behind the eight ball” economically.

Persons: Laura Kelly, Kelly, ”, Sen, Mike Thompson, Republican Sen, Caryn Tyson, Kelly's, Sam Brownback, “ Kansans, ” Kelly, Brianna Johnson, Neva Butkus, Butkus, Kim Reynolds, Ty Masterson, It's, Hannah Fingerhut Organizations: —, Democratic, GOP, Gov, Top Republicans, of Revenue, Tax Foundation ., Kansas City, Republican, Social, Republican Gov, Taxation, Economic, Tax Foundation, Kansas, Associated Press Locations: TOPEKA, Kan, Kansas, Tax Foundation . Kansas, Iowa, Wichita, Des Moines , Iowa

The ruling was another big victory for abortion rights advocates in Kansas, where a statewide vote in August 2022 decisively confirmed protections for abortion access under the state constitution. Jayaram concluded that the restrictions now on hold violate a patient's right to bodily autonomy. A law that took effect July 1 required abortion providers to tell their patients that a medication abortion can be stopped using a regimen touted by anti-abortion groups. Abortion opponents argued repeatedly before the August 2022 vote that without a change in the state constitution, all existing abortion restrictions could be at risk. The state Supreme Court is reviewing a 2015 law banning the most common second-trimester procedure and a 2011 law imposing tougher health and safety requirements only for abortion providers.

Persons: Judge K, Christopher Jayaram's, ” Jayaram, ”, Emily Wales, Jackson, Caleb Dalton, Jayaram, “, Alice Wang, Roe, Wade, Danielle Underwood, John Hanna Organizations: Judge, U.S, Constitution, Utah Supreme, Alliance Defending, Republican, GOP, Kansas, Center for Reproductive Rights, Alliance Locations: TOPEKA, Kan, Kansas, Johnson County, Kansas City, U.S ., Dobbs v, Texas, Utah, ” Kansas

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will no longer change transgender people's birth certificates to reflect their gender identities, the state health department said Friday, citing a new law that prevents the state from legally recognizing those identities. The decision from the state Department of Health and Environment makes Kansas one of a handful of states that won't change transgender people's birth certificates. They came in response to court filings by conservative Republican state Attorney General Kris Kobach to enforce the new state law. Under the conservative Republicans who were governor before Kelly, transgender residents also couldn’t change their birth certificates. A federal judge signed off on a settlement agreement requiring the state to change transgender people’s birth certificates.

Persons: Laura Kelly's, Kris Kobach, Jaelynn, I’ve, ” Abegg, Kobach, Kelly, ” Omar Gonzalez, ”, ” Kobach, they've, ___ Hollingsworth, ___, John Hanna Organizations: of Health, Environment, Democratic Gov, Republican, GOP, Kansas, Lambda, Republicans, Lambda Legal, Kansas Supreme, American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas Locations: TOPEKA, Kan, Kansas, Wichita, U.S . Montana , Oklahoma, Tennessee, Montana, Mission , Kansas, kansas

☆ Don't say anti-gay: As GOP approval for same-sex relationships plummets, Republican senators insist they're only coming after trans rights, not gay rights
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

GOP senators insist they don't hear about it from their voters — and that trans issues are different. "You mentioned that eight years ago, the Obergefell decision created a constitutional right to same-sex marriage," said Graham. Since the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision, same-sex marriage has largely faded as an issue targeted by Republicans, at least at the national level. "To be honest, I don't hear a lot about that issue," Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, one of the more eager Republican culture warriors, said of same-sex marriage. Still, support for the legality of same-sex marriage remains broadly popular — it's not the potent wedge issue it once was, such as during the 2004 presidential campaign when President George W. Bush campaigned on a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

Persons: —, Sen, Lindsey Graham of, Graham, Hodges, Josh Hawley, Hawley, George W, Bush, Cynthia Lummis, Ron DeSantis, Lummis, Drew Angerer, Thom Tillis, Republican Sen, you've, JD Vance, Ohio, Vance, it's, Anita Bryant's, Biden, Dr, Roger Marshall, Roger Marshall of, Marshall, I've Organizations: Pride, Service, Republican, Republicans, Gallup, Gov, Getty, Rights, House Locations: Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Wyoming, Florida, North Carolina, United States, statehouses, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Kansas

Here is a snapshot of pending and passed legislation seeking to restrict or protect access in 2023. KANSAS: Although Kansans voted in favor of state abortion rights on a ballot measure last year, the Republican-led state Senate has passed a prohibition on prescribing abortion pills via telemedicine. The Republican-led state is currently enforcing a total abortion ban, with exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother. MONTANA: The Republican-led state Senate has passed a bill seeking to overturn a 1999 state Supreme Court ruling that found that the state constitution protected a right to abortion. SOUTH CAROLINA: Despite the fact that the state Supreme Court recently struck down a six-week abortion ban in a 3-2 vote, Republicans have introduced a near-total abortion ban and a six-week ban this year.

☆ The battle over abortion access could return to the ballot box in four states in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Millions of Americans lost legal access to abortion after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The GOP used state ballot initiatives banning same-sex marriage to juice turnout, including in the critical state of Ohio. "The majority of Arizonans support safe, legal abortion, and we need to roll back many of the restrictions that are in place now." Two abortion rights groups are teaming up to put the question before voters in 2024. The ballot box might also be abortion rights advocates' best hope as the unicameral legislature appears to be on the verge of breaking a filibuster to pass a 6-week abortion ban.

☆ Factbox: Abortion battles in U.S. state capitols to watch in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Gabriella Borter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

KANSAS: Although Kansans voted in favor of state abortion rights on a ballot measure last year, Republican lawmakers have proposed measures including a near-total ban on abortion and prohibitions on prescribing abortion pills over telemedicine. MONTANA: Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill seeking to overturn a 1999 state supreme court ruling, which found that the state constitution protected a right to abortion. SOUTH CAROLINA: Despite the fact that the state supreme court recently struck down a six-week abortion ban in a 3-2 vote, Republicans have introduced a near-total abortion ban and a 6-week ban this year. The success of that legislation may depend on the outcome of the state's appeal of the supreme court decision. PROTECTIONSMICHIGAN: Abortion rights advocates scored big wins in Michigan in the November 2022 election, securing a Democratic majority in the legislature and enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution.

The first election to put abortion rights to the test after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade appears unlikely to reshape the map of abortion access — at least not overnight. States that protect abortion access Mixed results New protections Existing protections Results pending States that restrict abortion access Results pending New restrictions likely Mixed results Existing restrictionsResults pending in races affecting abortion Arizona Montana Nebraska PennsylvaniaMany of the most competitive state-level races with consequences for abortion were too close to call on Wednesday. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel, both Democrats who pledged to protect abortion rights, won re-election. But two candidates for the State Supreme Court who were backed by anti-abortion groups did not win their races. Mr. Cooper, a Democrat, opposes abortion restrictions, and Republicans failed to secure a supermajority in the Legislature that would have allowed them to override his veto.

Voters in at least two states have received false information about how to vote through text messages in recent days, with little idea who’s behind them. It wasn’t immediately clear how many people received the text messages. Obtained by NBC NewsExperts have warned that text messages that mislead people about how to vote are a particularly tricky problem. It’s not difficult for a malicious actor to hide where a text message comes from, and the Federal Communications Commission loosened restrictions on political text messaging before the 2020 election. Kansans were targeted with misleading text messages this year in relation to an abortion referendum.

☆ Kentucky abortion vote will test support for post-Roe state bans
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Gabriella Borter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Gabriella Borter/File PhotoOct 18 (Reuters) - An abortion rights vote in Kentucky on Nov. 8 will determine if the conservative state becomes Kansas 2.0. The upcoming vote is a test of public support for Kentucky's strict abortion laws, which took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade's federal abortion protections in June. Kentucky is the only one of those states to have voters weigh in on abortion rights while enforcing a near-total ban. A coalition of state and national abortion rights groups called Protect Kentucky Access aims to win support from conservatives who disagree with the overturn of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling and the state's abortion ban. Leticia Martinez, a consultant who has advised both opposition campaigns, said while the Kansas win informed the Kentucky efforts, the current strategy was tailored to Kentucky voters specifically.

Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., is putting abortion rights front-and-center in her rematch against Republican Amanda Adkins in the state's 3rd Congressional District, launching a new ad Saturday targeting her opponent on the issue. That amendment failed in August with nearly 60% of voters casting ballots against it — a vote that has influenced the conversation around abortion rights nationally in the weeks since. The ad, which airs on broadcast, cable and satellite TV, also highlights Adkins' support for the proposed Republican Study Committee's fiscal year 2023 budget. "She was 100% for allowing politicians to ban abortion in Kansas," the ad begins. Abortion rights have emerged as a flashpoint nationally after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling this summer, energizing abortion rights supporters.

Admission prices for museums, movies, concerts, theme parks and other cultural activities were 6.2% higher last month than they were in August last year, federal data show. The Museum of Craft and Design in San Francisco is offering art kits to Museum Day visitors. This is the fifth year MCD is participating in Museum Day. More ways to get free or discounted museum admissionsIf you miss Museum Day this weekend, don’t worry. Some sites, like Chicago’s Field Museum, offer state residents free entry on select days.

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