Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a first-of-its kind bill defining what it means to be a woman, putting her at risk of being overridden again on a contentious cultural issue by the Republican-controlled legislature.
Ms. Kelly, a Democrat, nixed Senate Bill 180, known as the Women’s Bill of Rights, which provides definitions of “male” and “female” based on biological sex at birth for purposes of single-sex spaces such as public restrooms, scholastic sports, and dormitories.
House Speaker Dan Hawkins promptly warned that House Republicans “stand ready to overturn” the veto, as they did earlier this month with her veto of a bill barring male-born athletes from girls’ and women’s sports.
“With the veto of the Women’s Bill of rights, Governor Kelly has chosen to side with left-wing activists who seek to change the definition of a woman and ignore the biological differences that exist between the sexes,” said Mr. Hawkins in a Thursday statement.
“House Republicans believe biological females in Kansas deserve privacy, safety, and dignity in single-sex spaces and are dedicated to ensuring the current laws that have historically protected that right can continue to do so,” he said.
Whether Republicans can muster the votes is another question.
The House needed the vote of Democratic Rep. Marvin Robinson, with no votes to spare, to override the governor’s veto of the 2023 Fairness in Women’s Sports bill.
In her Thursday veto message, Ms. Kelly said that she vetoed four gender-related bills to protect the state’s business climate.
One of those measures, Senate Bill 26, creates a cause of action for patients to sue their doctors over childhood gender-transition procedures after reaching age 21. Another bill would require schools to separate students by biological sex on overnight trips.
“Companies have made it clear that they are not interested in doing business with states that discriminate against workers and their families,” Ms. Kelly said.
“By stripping away rights from Kansans and opening the state up to expensive and unnecessary lawsuits, these bills would hurt our ability to continue breaking economic records and landing new business deals,” she said.
The fourth bill, Senate Bill 228, would require prisons to separate inmates by biological sex, prompting a reference by Mr. Hawkins to “Weed Day,” the marijuana holiday.
“Today being 4/20, one must question what the Governor was smoking when she made this ludicrous and dangerous decision,” Mr. Hawkins said.
Kansas became the first state to pass the Women’s Bill of Rights, which was crafted by a coalition of right- and left-tilting women’s groups seeking to protect the integrity of single-sex spaces such as prisons, domestic-violence shelters, and rape-crisis centers.
Mr. Hawkins said that ignoring sex differences is “reckless and exposes females to specific forms of violence, including sexual violence,” while transgender-rights advocates cheered Ms. Kelly’s veto as a victory for inclusion.
“We want to thank her for vetoing this transphobic and hateful legislation,” tweeted Equality Kansas. “At Equality Day she promised to veto this legislation and we applaud her for keeping her word!”
Ms. Kelly’s veto pen is getting a workout.
Last week, she vetoed a bill to require lifesaving medical care for infants born alive after botched abortions, and another allowing K-12 schools to implement firearms-safety courses.
