The Kansas Legislature on Friday overrode pro-abortion Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of legislation shielding pro-life pregnancy centers from government regulations that could restrict their ability to offer life-affirming support to women.
The House voted 87-35 and the Senate voted 30-9 to enact House Bill 2635, the Pregnancy Center Autonomy and Rights of Expression (CARE) Act.
The measure protects private, nonprofit pregnancy centers and medical pregnancy centers by exempting them from certain regulations on the information, services and resources they provide regarding pregnancy, childbirth and parenting. It also creates a private right of action allowing centers to sue if the law is violated and permits state legislators to intervene in such lawsuits.
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Kelly vetoed the bill hours earlier on March 27.
In her veto message, she said Kansans “have made it clear, time and time again, that they want government to stay out of women’s private medical decisions.”
“That means we shouldn’t be spending tax dollars trying to interfere with that very personal, very private, medical decision,” Kelly said. “That’s why I’m vetoing this bill.”
The bill has nothing to do with private medical decisions or interfering with them.
House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, condemned the veto.
“This governor is quick to talk about supporting choice, but that support disappears the moment a mother chooses life,” Hawkins said. He added that politicians and bureaucrats “shouldn’t interfere with organizations that run pregnancy resource centers” and that targeting those groups “is just plain wrong.”
Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, described the legislation as “good legislation that saves lives.”
“This bill simply protects pregnancy resource centers’ ability to educate mothers and provide life-affirming care,” Masterson said.
Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Denise Burke praised the override.
“Many women seeking abortions say they’d prefer to choose life if they had more support. While pregnancy centers can fulfill that need, they face real and growing threats,” Burke said. “Thankfully, the CARE Act prohibits state and local officials from censoring or discriminating against pregnancy centers simply because they do not provide, counsel in favor of, or refer for abortion. It also ensures that pregnancy centers can continue to provide meaningful, life-affirming care to women, families, and the communities they serve. We commend the Kansas Legislature for enacting this law to ensure the freedom of pregnancy centers to continue providing life-giving help and hope to women, and we thank Kansas Family Voice and Kansans for Life for their critical work in support of the bill.”
Since 2022, the Legislature has directed $7 million in state funding to crisis pregnancy centers through a separate program.
Kansans for Life, which backed the legislation
