Last month, we asked our readers what issues you wanted to hear Republican candidates for Kansas House of Representatives address as they compete for votes in the Aug. 2 primary election.
Based on your feedback, we developed a five-item questionnaire that touches on some of the most important issues to Johnson County voters.
Each day this week, we will publish the candidates’ responses to one of these five questions.
Below are the candidates’ responses to item #1:
If approved by voters next month, the “Value Them Both” amendment would allow the state legislature to place restrictions on access to abortion — a power it could exercise freely in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. Would you support any exceptions or legal allowances for abortion in the event of pregnancy that resulted from rape or incest, or if the life of the mother is at risk? Please explain why or why not.
Here are the answers the Post received from the candidates:
House District 17 (parts of Lake Quivira, Lenexa and Shawnee)
Max Langston
My simple answer is that I would not allow for any exceptions. Life begins at the moment of fertilization, which means that abortion is murder and needs to be treated like murder, unless we treat our preborn neighbors as subhuman by denying them the same right to life and to equal protection under the law which you and I have.
It’s worth noting that doctors should in no way feel restrained from removing a child who has passed away or from practicing triage, though. That’s why I like this legal definition of abortion: ‘Abortion means the act of using or prescribing an instrument, drug, medicine or any other substance, device or means with the intent to cause the death of an unborn child’. While I can’t see how most abortion practices can legally continue once people are protected equally from womb to tomb, the main problem is that some people don’t see these children as human beings just like themselves. That’s why we need the law to make people act like preborn children are human beings. Doctors should not necessarily be afraid of a chemical or tool, but of doing harm to human being punished by the law for doing so!
I should also mention that this is the main reason I’m running: I’ve spent most of my Saturday mornings and half my Friday mornings this past year offering help and adoption outside Planned Parenthood, only for most women to walk inside and kill their children. It disgusts me (and disgusts my God even more) that our laws allow mothers to murder their babies at this death camp, or even by pill in their homes, and I want to help put a stop to it.
Emily Carpenter
Did not respond.
House District 19 (parts of Leawood, Overland Park and Prairie Village)
Mark Tallent
I don’t know of a single person who supports mothers dying and I don’t either. If you are honest about the scenario that instance is infinitesimally small, any other claims are just fear mongering from people who make money off slaughtering babies and racists like Margaret Sanger. The abortion issue is literally the slave issue of our time the democrats have decided once again that a select group of people don’t deserve rights or representation. I am 100% in favor of some abortion restrictions. According to americanadoptions.com there are 36 couples waiting in line for every one child put up for adoption.
Nicholas Reddell
Yes, to direcetly answer your question, I would absolutly support exceptions or legal allowances for abortion in the event of pregnacy that resulted from rape, incest or life of the mother was at risk. These in my option are appropriate common sense reasons that a woman should have an choice for an abortion.
On Tuesday, we will publish the candidates’ responses to the second question:
Many of our readers want to know where the candidates running for state representative stand on the integrity of the 2020 presidential election. Do you accept that Joe Biden was legitimately elected and seated as President of the United States? If not, please explain your thinking.
