Kansas Abortion Fund work evolves with renewed attacks on rights
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What is the history and origin of the Kansas Abortion Fund?
For 30 years, the Kansas Abortion Fund has assisted women seeking reproductive health care. But the small Lawrence-based nonprofit's work has evolved in a post-war world. And despite the 2022 vote in Kansas to preserve the right to terminate a pregnancy, the legislature continues to pass new restrictions. Another constitutional amendment vote this August could further jeopardize reproductive rights in the state. Welcome to the Kansas Reflector podcast. I'm editor Sherman Smith. My guest today is Sandy Brown, president of the Kansas Abortion Fund. Sandy, thank you for joining me.
Thank you, Sherman. It's a privilege. Thank
you. Very good. Let's talk about the history of your organization, the Kansas Abortion Fund.
Yes. The organization started out, and the original name was the Peggy Bowman Second Chance Fund some years ago. That name was changed in 2019. In the beginning, it was a very, very, very small grassroots group of women here in Lawrence who had a phone tree, who helped people out who needed an abortion and that phone tree grew and eventually it was like a small snowball going downhill and eventually became a non-profit
you guys are a 501c3 non-profit and you've been the the president for the past 13 years how did you become the president of this group
Yeah, I was really interested in joining the board, and in short order, I was a member on the board, and in very short order, their president left, and no one else was agreeing to do this job, so I stepped up to do it, and I had only been on the board for six months, so here we are 13 years later, and...
And this is a volunteer position, so you don't get paid for doing this work. No. But why did you want to do this? Why did you want to be part of the organization and why be president?
I've had my own history with abortion back in the day, and I was just very intrigued about where Kansas was going in reproductive rights that summer of hell. Was it 93, 92, 93? Yeah. I was looking to amp up my involvement, and this just unfolded to me like a thunderstorm. And I knew this was exactly what I wanted to do. And when I came on the board, I thought, wow, I really want to take this, and I want to be at the lead on it.
You referenced the so-called Summer of Mercy there, which was also marked with a lot of violence. We saw a prominent abortion doctor in Wichita gunned down in his own church. Have you ever been concerned for your own safety because of your involvement here?
I have, and I continue to be, but I'm vigilant. Yes, you wouldn't think it. You think, well, I run an organization, but you have to remember the history that's gone on here in Kansas. In 2022, I... There was so much happening. There was so much happening here in Lawrence, and I was getting, I ended up looking in my rearview mirror more than once. And so I had my security company revamp my security system. Yeah. Yeah, and I've got the panic button now.
Wow. We'll talk more about 2022 and the significance of that year here soon, but we'll touch a little bit more on the organization you guys bring in, about 400,000 a year, maybe a little more in recent years?
Yeah, it's going to vary between plus or minus that. It's a boon or bust situation. You never quite know what the year is going to bring.
These are just contributions from people in the state who are supporting your cause?
Yes, contributions from people in the state, but actually nationwide.
How does the Kansas Abortion Fund decide who receives funding and what is its mission?
And we do get grants. And we get most of our grants from NNAF, the National Network of Abortion Funds.
Okay. And it's mentioned this is an all-volunteer organization. If anybody looks up the 990, they'll see everybody is paid $0. And there's a simple mission statement. We fund abortions for any Kansans regardless of their income status. How did you arrive at that mission?
That was a long time coming because we had to go through several iterations. We did have a financial ceiling at one point and we lifted that with a lot of thought and we feel really confident in several aspects of the mission statement. I'd like to read for you the most updated version.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the history and origin of the Kansas Abortion Fund?
0:00–4:23
2
How does the Kansas Abortion Fund decide who receives funding and what is its mission?
4:23–8:25
3
Why was the 2022 Kansas constitutional amendment vote significant for abortion rights?
8:25–12:59
4
What are the implications of the proposed August amendment to Kansas’ judicial selection process?
12:59–17:13
5
How could the Fifth Circuit’s ruling on mifepristone affect abortion access in Kansas?
17:13–21:15
6
Why are crisis pregnancy centers considered a threat to women's reproductive health in Kansas?
21:15–25:34
7
How can Kansans be mobilized to vote against the judicial amendment in August?
25:34–29:29
8
Where can listeners find resources and support from the Kansas Abortion Fund?
29:29–33:33
Speakers
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