A Letter from President Justin Panzer
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In late 2019, a campaign was launched in Kansas to “Reverse the Ruling,” with the goal of overturning the Kansas Supreme Court’s 2019 decision in Hodes & Nauser v. Schmidt. This decision, you might remember, made abortion a constitutional “right” in the state. The Value Them Both Amendment, produced as part of this effort, came before the Kansas Legislature in early 2020 but was narrowly defeated.
The Value Them Both Amendment has now been reintroduced in the Kansas Legislature, with high hopes of securing the votes needed to get the amendment before Kansas voters. As legislators contemplate their vote, we have a wonderful opportunity to get involved and advocate for the sanctity of life. I’ve written a letter of support for the amendment, and I’ll also be offering the opening prayer at the Rally for Life on January 21 in Topeka (provided the event proceeds as planned).
You and the members of your congregations can help, too. Please keep this effort in your prayers and consider contacting your local Senate and House representatives. The more people legislators hear from, the more persuasive the message becomes!
Following are three options for getting involved and making your voice heard:
1) Call the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-432-3924. An operator will take a message and deliver it to elected officials.
2) Contact legislators through the Value Them Both Amendment page on the Kansans for Life website. (See the gray “Will you help?” box for options.)
3) Send an email message to your legislators and encourage others to do the same. (See the sample below, which can be copied and modified as needed.) Registered voters can locate their legislators by using the Open States System at https://openstates.org/
You can also check the Senate and House rosters for contact information.
Thank you for your efforts in defense of life. Whatever the outcome of the Value Them Both Amendment, we can take comfort in the words of John 1:4: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
In the service of Christ,
President Panzer
Sample email
Dear (Insert Legislator’s Name),
Thank you in advance for your support for the Value Them Both Amendment during the 2021 Legislative Session. Unlimited abortion hurts women and babies, and this amendment is the only way to stop this from happening in Kansas. You have taken a public stance in support of life in the past. I look forward to you supporting this commonsense amendment when it comes up for a vote in the legislature.
If you are not planning to support the amendment this coming year, please inform me as soon as possible.
Respectfully,
(Insert Your Name)