He’s so pro-life, in fact, that he took a very public stand last year on Kansas’ “Value Them Both Amendment”. That amendment, if passed, would have stated that the constitution of Kansas does not secure a “right to abortion.” It also would have established that the Kansas Constitution does not require taxpayer funding of abortion services.
Specifically, the amendment would have provided that “§ 22. Regulation of abortion. Because Kansans value both women and children, the constitution of the state of Kansas does not require government funding of abortion and does not create or secure a right to abortion. To the extent permitted by the constitution of the United States, the people, through their elected state representatives and state senators, may pass laws regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, laws that account for circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, or circumstances of necessity to save the life of the mother.”
Though that amendment ultimately failed, Butker publically agitated for it and appeared in a Catholic Vote commercial supporting the amendment.
Speaking in the ad, Butker said “This amendment will let Kansas decide what we do on abortion.” Watch him here:
That’s not all. He also wrote an op-ed for the Kansas Catholic Tribune in support of the amendment. In that op-ed, Butker wrote, “When the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the meaning of life in the Kansas Constitution refers only to those outside the womb, they left those without a voice to be targeted by terrible legislation and outside forces. The only way to defend the unborn, protecting the Sanctity of Life, is to amend the Kansas Constitution.”
Butker also said that the pro-life amendment would have made Kansas “a place where all children are valued at every stage of life.”
Still that’s not all. Butker also gave an interview to the Catholic News Agency in which he said “I think God has definitely given me a platform. He’s given me a voice for a lot of people that aren’t able to voice their opinions. I put so much into being the best kicker I can possibly be and for whatever reason, God has allowed me to continue to be successful as a kicker. I’m so thankful for that. My success in football has given me a pedestal and I feel a responsibility to raise awareness to different issues that I think God wants me to bring to the forefront.”
And so he’s using that platform to take a stand for life and encourage ment to value and defend the lives of the unborn, saying “Now is the time for you to take up your task, as men of the church to fight this battle for our nation, to bring Christ back to our daily lives. Men need to play active roles within our church… Your priests need to hear from you. They need to see you. Other men need to see you.” That comment came during a September 2020 commencement speech he gave at the Knights of Columbus College Councils Conference.
By: Will Tanner. Follow me on Twitter @Will_Tanner_1
Featured image credit: By Jeffrey Beall – Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65236262
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