WICHITA, Kansas – On Tuesday, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback gave the State of the State address. Governor Brownback chose to talk about fetal tissue donation and defunding Planned Parenthood. He did not discuss the state budget or lay out any significant plan to solve the education funding crisis. Governor Brownback also attacked the process for the current selection of Supreme Court Justices and refused to expand Medicaid.
Julie Burkhart, Founder and CEO of Trust Women Foundation, stated, “Tonight’s speech demonstrates Governor Brownback’s profound contempt for the people of Kansas. His speech was littered with political red herrings to distract from the serious problems our state is facing. He chose to talk about his religious beliefs rather than discussing how we can fix our severe budget shortfall or fund our education system. He spoke of cutting funding for reproductive health care and refusing to expand Medicaid. If he really wanted to reduce the number of abortions in Kansas, he would support reproductive health care funding for contraception.”
Burkhart continued, “Brownback stated that Kansas is a state that respects the dignity of all people, yet the policies championed by his administration continue to hurt Kansas families and disrespect the autonomy of Kansas women.”
