WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, the Kansas legislature voted to override Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act (HB 2313/SB 320).

The Kansas Born-Alive Infants Protection Act would require that infants who survive abortion attempts be given the same degree of medical care as other children born alive at the same gestational age.

“We thank the leaders in the Kansas House and Senate who are leading the way in protecting babies born alive following an abortion,” stated Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life (NRL). “We praise our affiliate Kansans for Life for their tireless and unceasing work in seeing this law passed.”

Earlier today, the Kansas House voted to override the veto in a vote of 87-37. Later, the Kansas Senate voted 31-9 to override the governor’s veto.

“We applaud the Kansas legislators from both sides of the aisle who stood together for compassion and basic human decency by repudiating Governor Kelly’s heartless veto of the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act,” stated Jeanne Gawdun, KFL Director of Government Relations.

Continued Gawdun, “Born-Alive protections proved to be the very definition of a ‘middle-of-the-road’ position, with 96% of Kansans in agreement that babies born alive after attempted abortions deserve the same degree of medical care as any newborn of the same gestational age. Any legislator who failed to vote today to override HB 2313 made themselves subservient to one of the most extreme abortion positions possible, effectively endorsing infanticide.”

The survey conducted by Heart+Mind Strategies for Kansans for Life that shows 96% of Kansans support protection for babies born alive following an abortion can be found here.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.