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Minutes for SB180 - Committee on Health and Human Services
Short Title
Establishing the women's bill of rights to provide a meaning of biological sex for purposes of statutory construction.
Minutes Content for Mon, Mar 6, 2023
Riley Gaines, Spokeswoman, Independent Women's Voice (IWV), provided testimony in support of SB180 (Attachment 15). The IWV fights for women and their loved ones by advocating for policy solutions that enhance freedom, opportunities and well-being. Ms. Gaines provided her personal story. At issue is that unelected bureaucrats want to redefine "sex" and equate it with "gender identity". To prevent this from happening, states must pass the Women's Bill of Rights to protect women and legislative prerogatives. The bill does not change any existing law. It merely establishes a legal definition of sex-based terms.
Ms. Gaines responded to questions from the committee.
Hadley Heath Manning, Vice President for Policy, Independent Women's Voice, provided testimony in support of SB180 (Attachment 16). The IWV understands that while men and women are legally equal, they are not the same. Each must be given equal opportunities but our institutions such as prisons, athletic teams and domestic violence shelters must not be required to integrates males and females. This is consistent with legal precedent which allows for equal treatment of similarly situated men and women but also differentiates between the sexes whenever privacy, safety or equal opportunity are at stake. Redefining basic words has the potential to rewrite thousands of state and federal laws. Advocates have urged judges to apply the same standards of racial discrimination to sex classifications. The bill does not change current laws or prevent legislatures from enacting new laws accommodating people who identify as transgendered.
Ms. Manning responded to questions from the committee.
Lauren Bone, Women's Liberation Front (WoLF), provided testimony in support of SB180 (Attachment 17). Ms. Bone noted that she co-wrote the bill. Recognition of sex as an objective characteristic by law and policy makers is foundational to ensuring women and girls have equal access to public life. A list of factual reasons why the sexes are allowed by law to be treated differently in certain situations was reviewed. The bill would ensure that any debate about male access to women's spaces requires acknowledgement that those seeking access be identified, in aggregate, as factual males. Ms. Bone provided examples of issues in prisons where sexual abuse occurred.
Written only testimony provided by the following:
Brittany Jones, Director of Policy and Engagement, Kansas Family Voice (Attachment 18)
Lucrecia Nold, Policy Specialist, Kansas Catholic Conference (Attachment 19)
