KS, MO lawmakers react to SCOTUS decision overruling Roe v. Wade

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In the wake of the Supreme Court of the United States overturning Roe v. Wade, paving the way for states to ban abortions, lawmakers in Kansas and Missouri have weighed in.

Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas tweeted about the importance of choosing leaders and allowing oneself to feel "bothered" in fighting for change within one's community.

Jackson County Executive Frank White was fully transparent on social media about his feelings. In addition to releasing a statement, he commented that "the Supreme Court got it wrong — plain and simple. I am disgusted, saddened and quite frankly, scared of what could be next."

Missouri Rep. Vicky Hartzler, also a Republican candidate for Senate, issued a statement calling the SCOTUS decision a "monumental win for the American people."

Similarly, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt posted on social media that Missouri was the first in the country to end abortion, with him signing an opinion moments after the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was announced.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson issued a statement on the court's decision triggering the legal enactment of House Bill 126, meaning most abortions in Missouri are now illegal.

"With Roe v. Wade overturned and statutory triggers provided in HB 126, we are issuing this proclamation to restore our state authority to regulate abortion and protect life," Parson said. "... Today, our efforts have produced what generations of Missourians have worked and prayed for: Today, we have won our fight to protect innocent life."

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, posted just six words on social media applauding SCOTUS.

The Missouri Democrats issued a joint statement on the ruling, noting the day will likely be "branded into the memories of millions of Missourians."

"Missourians know what's best for them and their families, and today that has been stripped away from them," the statement said.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Missouri, echoed a similar sentiment. He said that to wrap up his feelings as merely disappointed would be an understatement.

"The Supreme Court has made it abundantly clear that its justices have become so insular that they are completely out of touch with the American people," Cleaver said in a statement. "In two days, they have released two decisions so widely out of step with the overwhelming majority of the public that one can only interpret them as a slap in face to Americans who believe in an independent, nonpartisan judicial branch of government."

In Kansas, Republican Rep. Jake LaTurner issued a statement about the decision, although he includes that the ruling does not directly affect his state until Kansas votes on the issue of abortion in August.

"Today is a monumental win for pro-life Americans across our country who have been fighting tirelessly over the last fifty years to protect the most vulnerable among us—the unborn," LaTurner's statement read.

Conversely, Kansas Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids spoke to the severity of the situation and questioned how voters will choose to "support women and access to health care" in August.

"This is no longer hyperbole or hypothetical," Davids said in a statement. "For 50 years, we've been protected from the most extreme attempts to control people's decisions about their bodies, but that protection is now gone and Kansas is at a major decision point."

Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran, Republican, cited Justice Alito in his statement, focusing on allowing elected representatives to be heard.

"This historic decision will now allow legislatures, accountable to the citizens who elected them, to take action to pass laws that protect children in the womb and support their mothers," Moran said in a statement.

Sen. Roger Marshall also referred to the change as a "historic decision." Additionally, Marshall says Friday marks a "new beginning for millions of unborn American children."

Calling the Supreme Court's decision the "right one," Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt issued a statement in agreeance with the actions of the court.

"I prefer a future with less abortion, not more. To preserve existing limits on late-term abortions, requirements parents be notified when minors seek abortion, and prohibitions on using taxpayer funds to pay for abortion, I will join with other pro-life Kansans in casting my vote for Value Them Both. On August 2, the people will speak and their voice will show the path forward for Kansas," Schmidt's statement read in part.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly posted on social media following the decision. She made her stance clear that she will "continue to oppose all regressive legislation that interferes with individual freedoms or threatens the strides we've made in recent years making Kansas a constructive place to do business."