Wichita Eagle: In Kansas, coronavirus forces pause to abortion, Medicaid standoff

By Jonathan Shorman | March 19, 2020

Less than two weeks ago, Medicaid expansion supporters were led away by police after staging protests outside the Kansas Senate.

Some Senate Republicans were blockading the proposal until the House approved an anti-abortion amendment to the state constitution. There was no end to the standoff in sight.

Today, it all seems like the distant past. The Legislature’s two signature fights are on pause for the foreseeable future.

With stunning speed, the biggest battle over Kansas abortion rights in years and the resolution of a nearly decade-long struggle over health insurance for the poor have been swept away by the coronavirus. Reported cases of the disease in the state continue to mount as the Legislature moves to adjourn early.

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