It looks like Republicans have launched a sneaky plan to ban abortion in Kansas

I’m not saying that GOP lawmakers have an elaborate plan to ban all abortions in Kansas.

But if they did, they’d be doing exactly what they’re doing now.

Women enjoy reproductive freedom here thanks to the Hodes and Nauser ruling from the state Supreme Court in 2019. The justices found that abortion access was a fundamental right under the Kansas Constitution. Legislative Republicans tried to change that with a constitutional amendment, which voters overwhelmingly rejected on Aug. 2, 2022. Importantly, that vote merely preserved the status quo. It did not protect the right in perpetuity.

So now Republicans want to change the court itself.

Senators have proposed a plan that would call for justices to be publicly elected. Alternate ideas have included adding a confirmation process. (Currently, the public weighs in via regular retention votes for justices.) Either change would likely result in a significantly more conservative court that would allow bans on abortion and significant reductions in education spending.

Reaching such outcomes requires passing a constitutional amendment, which would have to first be approved by both chambers in the Statehouse and then clear a public vote. I would expect advocates to spend big and attempt to mislead Kansans.

Again, I’m not saying that Topeka Republicans desperately want to ban abortion and harm Kansas women. I’m not saying they want to do an end run around the clear will of Kansans in 2022.

But they’re sure acting like it.

Carr v. Hoheisel

The drama between feuding Wichita Reps. Nick Hoheisel and Ford Carr leveled up Friday morning, with a committee assembling to hear a complaint filed by the latter against the former.

Carr, a Black Democrat, and Hoheisel, a white Republican, clashed on the floor last week. According to the complaint, Hoheisel took offense to comments Carr made about racism and launching a profanity-laced diatribe against the Democrat. (Hoheisel has thus far refused to comment beyond calling the allegations “false and outlandish.”)

“I rarely think a man of color gets a fair shake anyway,” Carr told Kansas Reflector senior reporter Tim Carpenter. “However, I’m not necessarily concerned with the shake being fair. There comes a time where you need to stand on principles. You have to teach people how to treat you. You have to show people that not everyone is going to cower and stay silent.”

Here’s what confuses me. Over my nearly four years in this job, I’ve been called a sexual predator, a liar, fat and an assortment of homophobic slurs and vile epithets. I have also been called racist. Yet, I have thus far refrained from getting in a fight about any of them. That’s because my mother and father taught me about regulating emotions.

If Carr’s complaint describes actual events, why on Earth does Hoheisel have such thin skin?

Proctor on mute

Take a look at this video posted by youth advocacy and voting rights group Loud Light:

Why did you refuse to answer questions from fellow legislators about your plan to “chip away” at early voting by ending the three day mail in ballot processing period, which would protect over 2000 postmarked Kansas ballots @RealPatProctor ? #kansas #ksleg #kslegislature #ks pic.twitter.com/OKstnsY8xJ
— Loud Light (@loud_light) February 27, 2025

That’s right. You’ll see Rep. Pat Proctor, R-Leavenworth, refusing to answer questions about his bill ending a three-day grace period for the arrival of mail-in ballots.

This would be the same Proctor who loudly accused me online of being a “liar” for sharing the fact that he didn’t reply to email requests for comment from Reflector editor in chief Sherman Smith.

It looks as though not responding to questions might just be his new thing.

Bezos opinions

You might have seen news that Washington Post owner and Amazon boss Jeff Bezos plans to reorient the storied newspaper’s editorial page toward “free markets and personal liberties.”

This is of course Bezos’ prerogative; opinion sections traditionally answer to owners and publishers rather than news editors.

You can rest assured that Kansas Reflector remains committed to our longtime opinion coverage goal:

That’s what we’ve done, that’s what we’re doing, and that’s what we’re going to keep doing. Regardless of what Bezos claims, “the internet” does not replace a smartly edited and curated selection of opinion pieces from a range of voices.

Meanwhile, if anyone wants to submit columns, feel free to email me here!

Still pondering

These pointed questions from the week ran through my head like a band of excited joggers.

Just what is Rep. Stephanie Sawyer-Clayton writing about in this tweet? Sounds like the House floor could used even more policing.

Also, after Floor Debate on this bill yesterday, I will never again respond “just peachy” when asked how I am doing. The response from the bill carrier in the well during our official proceedings was creepy and gross. This is a workplace. #ksleg
— Stephanie Clayton (@SSCJoCoKs) February 27, 2025

With federal government staff cuts hitting the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, will Kansas Republicans in D.C. finally speak up against Elon Musk’s reign of terror? Hah! I can guess the answer.Given the compressed legislative schedule I wrote about last week, does anyone else feel like there’s a big shoe about to drop in the legislative session?Hey, does anyone know if there’s a town hall featuring U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall planned anywhere soon? I’m sure someone can figure that out.

Clay Wirestone is Kansas Reflector opinion editor. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.

Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com.