Kansas lawmakers are considering a proposal that would place a state Equal Rights Amendment (H.R. 5003) before voters in the next general election, the Kansas City Star reports. The amendment would grant women the same rights to men in the state constitution. According to the Star, antiabortion-rights groups have suggested that an ERA could "open the door to a constitutional guarantee for abortion" in Kansas. Although Kansas does have a statute outlawing gender-based discrimination, ERA supporters maintain that the amendment could make it less difficult for women to successfully argue sexual discrimination and harassment lawsuits. They also cite the symbolic value of having equal rights for women included in the state constitution.
Catholic and antiabortion-rights groups believe that an ERA could derail all state restrictions on abortion. Beatrice Swoopes, a lobbyist with the Kansas Catholic Conference, said, "If we allow it to pass, Kansans will wake up one day wondering how a right to unrestricted and taxpayer-funded abortion was smuggled into our constitution." However, Washburn University professor Jeffrey Jackson noted that many states with ERAs have more restrictive abortion policies than Kansas.
Kansas lawmakers would have to approve the proposal by a two-thirds vote in both chambers to place the measure on the state ballot. According to the Star, the proposal "might not get that far," as state Sen. Pete Brungardt (R), who leads the committee reviewing the bill, has not decided whether the committee will have the time to vote on the legislation this year (Klepper, Kansas City Star, 2/26).
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