A new exhibit aims to bring front and center the devastating impact of abortion following its codification in a Midwest state’s constitution.
The abortion rate has nearly tripled in Kansas since the state’s supreme court ruled in 2019 the state constitution protects abortion access, The Heartlander reports.
Surrounding states have worked to regulate abortion following the 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade in the Supreme Court Dobbs decision, the same year the Value Them Both constitutional amendment intended to override the state’s Supreme Court ruling failed, dovetailing in Kansas becoming a Midwest abortion destination state.
“AFTERMATH: Abortion in Kansas 2019-Present” is an unprecedented outdoor walk-through exhibit from Kansans for Life that will tour the state September 13 - October 25, the outlet reports, that will “put residents face to face with the facts and impacts of that radical sea change.”
Visitors to the exhibit will be able to view the somber statistics, ponder their causes, and “feel the mournful impact of so many lives lost,” along with pledging to take action to address the issue.
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The Heartlander walked through the numbers.
In 2019 there were 6,916 abortions in Kansas, according to state figures. That number rose to 19,467 in 2023, the last year for which numbers are available.
Tweet This: In 2019 there were 6,916 abortions in Kansas, according to state figures. That number rose to 19,467 in 2023.
Additionally, the number of known abortion facilities in Kansas has also increased from three to at least seven.
The AFTERMATH exhibit will have tables with 19,467 models of aborted babies represented by their gestational ages. Kansans for Life anticipates this will be difficult for visitors to see, though feels that this impact must be made known to the state’s residents.
Kansans for Life had a display at the annual March for Life in Topeka, having borrowed another state’s baby models to raise awareness. The response of people crying and praying over the exhibit prompted the effort to illustrate how abortions have skyrocketed in the state with the AFTERMATH exhibit.
Churches, schools, homeschoolers, and pro-life advocates are encouraged to attend. Volunteers and donors are also welcome. Visitors to the exhibit can leave reflections on the website or at the exhibit site.
Abortion is legal in Kansas up to 22 weeks gestation.
The 1997 Kansas Women’s Right to Know Act is currently being challenged in court, according to The Heartlander. The Act has a 24-hour waiting period and an informed consent provision, along with a requirement to disclose disciplinary actions against the abortionists and had expanded state abortion statistics.
Hearings in the challenge are set for this month in a Johnson County court.
Abortion advocates also are seeking to dilute the state’s requirements that for physicians be involved in all abortions – in particular, chemical abortions, which now account for most of all U.S. abortions.
The AFTERMATH exhibit will be in the following cities for one-day visits from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.:
Hutchinson: Holy Cross Catholic Church Sept. 13
Hays: Outdoor Pavilion Sept. 22
Colby: Fike Park Sept. 23
Garden City: Stevens Park Sept. 24
Liberal: Light Park, Sept. 25
Dodge City: Wright Park, Sept. 26
Atchison: Lewis & Clark Pavilion Sept. 27
Salina: Jerry Ivey Memorial Park, Oct. 3
Paola: Park Square Oct. 4
Chanute: Santa Fe Park Oct. 10
Basehor: Holy Angels Catholic Church Oct. 18
Arkansas City: Rakie’s Oil Oct. 25
