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Anyone with Kansas connections can act now to help save countless lives. This post is periodically updated to include new opportunities.
Students from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, are knocking on doors to promote the right to life in advance of an Aug. 2 vote in Kansas, but there are practical steps every Catholic can take.
On Aug. 2 Kansas pro-lifers plan to vote Yes on the Value Them Both constitutional amendment which would clarify that “the constitution of the state of Kansas does not require government funding of abortion and does not create or secure a right to abortion,” and “elected state representatives and state senators, may pass laws regarding abortion.”
What can you do to promote a Yes vote?
1: Embrace the right to life.
When Archbishop Joseph Naumann asked if the right to life was the preeminent issue, as the U.S. bishops have designated it, Pope Francis said, “Of course it is. It’s the most fundamental right. … This is not first a religious issue; it’s a human rights issue.”
Archbishop Naumann noted that after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade, the eyes of the nation are on Kansas and abortion advocates have been targeting their opponents with vandalism and violence.
“I encourage every member of the archdiocese to vote in favor of the ‘Value Them Both’ amendment on Aug. 2,” he said.
2: Vote early.
“If you are going to be out of the state on Aug. 2, advance voting begins July 13,” Archbishop Naumann said. Even if you think you may be unable to vote in Kansas on Aug. 2, you can vote early to be on the safe side.
If you wait until election day, go to your polling place first thing in the morning. Don’t put it off. If you do, the chances of getting sidetracked and never making it to the polls only increases. Voting is a perfectly good excuse for being late to some other responsibility.
To vote by mail, Kansans registered to vote should complete these steps as soon as possible:
3: Help Others Vote. Be practical about it.
Be armed with the reasons to vote Yes for the Value Them Both amendment by reading these Value Them Both FAQs and encourage friends to vote.
Offer rides to those who need help getting to the polls. Parishes or pro-life groups can organize carpools. Big families have big vans that can be employed getting people to the polls without violating any rules. Is it hard for someone you know to get out to vote because they have to watch their children? Offer to watch the kids — or set up a service at your parish that does so.
E-mail, message, text, or call your friends to remind them it’s voting day.
At a Get Out the Vote Rally for a Yes! on Value Them Both Amendment at Benedictine College, Abortion survivor Melissa Ohden showed what’s at stake and former Kansas Gov. Dr. Jeff Colyer gave the action plan: “Take out your phone. Look in your contacts. Make 10 phone calls now, 10 more this evening, and 10 more tomorrow. Tell them how important this vote is and clear up any confusion so many have. Above all, pray!”
Kansas Catholic Conference head Chuck Weber adds:
“Call EVERYONE from your parish directory and ask them to vote YES on Value Them Both.
If possible, walk your neighborhood and speak to any and all friends inviting them to vote YES. Do not assume they are a yes vote!
Spread the word and make you and your fellow Knights or parish prolife people available to drive people to the polls this Tuesday, August 2.
The message is simple: Hi, I am calling from (your parish name here) to remind you that the vote for the Value Them Both amendment is this TUESDAY. May I please count on you to join our Catholic Bishops in supporting a YES VOTE for Value Them Both?”
“If people wish to discuss details or ask questions, simply say that Value Them Both will protect women’s rights like informed consent and will save the lives of preborn babies. It will prevent Kansans from paying for abortions with our tax dollars. It will stop live dismemberment abortions that are ALREADY and CURRENTLY taking place in Kansas.”
Best web site for more information: www.KansasAmendmentFacts.com
4: Can you do more?
If you have the capacity to do even more, here are some great aids.
Spread the word. Download here what you need to know in video and shareable formats. Spread the word through your parish and other organization.
Volunteer. Help efforts in your area to promote a Yes vote on Value them Both.
Sign up to help in the grassroots effort to get the word out — making phone calls, knocking on doors, and more.
Stay Up-to-Date. Facebook and Instagram pages alert followers to latest news in the Value Them Both effort.
Donate money. Give generously to help the efforts to mobilize Kansans to vote Yes. The abortion industry has raised more money than the pro-life advocates so far.
5: Knock on doors and more!
Contact Deb Niesen at dniesen@archkck.org if you are a high school or college student who would like to help bring the Value Them Both information to your school or youth group.
6: Our most urgent task is to love.
When Pope Francis told Kansas City, Kansas, Archbishop Joseph Naumann that the right-to-life was preeminent he “was truly kind of stunned” when he learned that there have been 61 million abortions in the United States since Roe v. Wade. Archbishop Naumann says our next great task is to give women real options.
Take it from the women who have faced down abortion: Protecting the right to life can truly move hearts to be more caring and loving, rescuing women from a predatory industry that allows boyfriends and big companies to pressure them to abort their children, a decision most admit they regret. After promoting a Yes vote in August, our equally urgent task is to serve women in crisis through crisis pregnancy centers and Catholic Charities.
Best website to learn of options: HelpingKansasWomen.org
7: Above all, pray!
Says Chuck Weber:
“One last thing — which should be the first thing. Pray. Pray like you’ve never prayed before. Get to Mass tomorrow and every day through Election Day. Get to Confession. Get down on your knees in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Pray the Rosary. Many of our parishes are scheduling Holy Hours and Rosaries. Our actions here on earth and Divine Intervention are going to win this election for the sake of women and preborn babies.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Unborn, pray for us!”
Click here to join the Memorare Army for Life which was started by Benedictine College in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Kansas City-Kansas.
The Pro-Life Office of the Archdiocese started a Novena to the Holy Innocents today, praying for the passage of the Value Them Both Amendment. The Novena will end with the final prayer on August 2. Read about the Holy Innocents Novena and see the prayers for each day here. Simply catch up on previous days if you start late.
Join one of the prayer vigils listed here:
Tom Hoopes, author of The Rosary of Saint John Paul II and The Fatima Family Handbook, is writer in residence at Benedictine College in Kansas and hosts The Extraordinary Story podcast about the life of Christ. A former reporter in the Washington, D.C., area, he served as press secretary of the U.S. House Ways & Means Committee Chairman and spent 10 years as executive editor of the National Catholic Register newspaper and Faith & Family magazine. His work frequently appears in Catholic publications such as Aleteia.org and the Register. He and his wife, April, have nine children and live in Atchison, Kansas.
