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After a series of fits and starts, the Kansas legislature passed legislation that would ban genital mutilation surgery on minors along with other supposed “transgender care” procedures. The proposed law would not impact adults. This led to Democratic Governor Laura Kelly breaking out her executive pen yesterday and vetoing the legislation. She vetoed a couple of other bills that had been sent to her for good measure. Republicans in the legislature appear to have enough votes to override the vetoes, but their margin for error is thin, particularly in the House. Assuming they can force the law through, Kansas will bring us to the point where the nation is almost evenly divided between states that ban or limit transgender medical procedures, particularly for children and those that allow the practice to flourish. (CBS News)
Kansas’ governor on Friday vetoed a proposed ban on gender-affirming care for minors, a measure to require more reporting from abortion providers and what she called a “vague” bill making it a crime to coerce someone into having an abortion.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s actions set up a series of confrontations with the Republican-supermajority Legislature over those issues. The measures appeared to have the two-thirds majorities needed in both chambers to override vetoes, but GOP leaders’ success depends on how many lawmakers are absent on a given day, especially in the House.
