Kansans for Life held its annual banquets in Overland Park on April 14 and Wichita on April 28, drawing more than 1,500 attendees. The events, themed "A Cause Like No Other," featured keynote remarks from Jennings, a conservative commentator on CNN who identifies as pro-life. Jennings addressed the audience on the importance of persistence within the pro-life movement and the impact the organization has achieved in Kansas.
During his remarks, Jennings stated that "thousands of children are alive today because Kansans for Life doesn't give up." He also told attendees that cultural change requires time. "What you are building here is not a moment. It's a movement," Jennings said. "Every conversation you have, every resource you provide, every life you touch... you are shaping not just outcomes, but consciences."
Executive Director Peter Northcott and Associate Director Danielle Underwood outlined the organization's recent legislative achievements. Since 2023, pro-life lawmakers have overridden fifteen vetoes from Kansas Governor Laura Kelly. In the 2026 legislative session, lawmakers passed protections for pregnancy resource centers, allocated $3 million in funding to such centers, strengthened informed consent requirements for women, and blocked state Medicaid funding to abortion providers including Planned Parenthood.
During the Overland Park event, Kansans for Life presented its Courage Award in honor of Representative Marvin Robinson, a Democrat who served in the Kansas House in 2023 and 2024. Robinson frequently voted with pro-life legislation despite being in the minority within his party. His family accepted the award following his death in August 2024.
The Wichita banquet marked the 35th anniversary of the Summer of Mercy, a 1991 gathering in which thousands participated in peaceful demonstrations outside abortion facilities in the Wichita area. That movement helped coordinate churches and establish foundations for ongoing pro-life advocacy in the state.
Kansans for Life also showcased AFTERMATH, its traveling memorial display featuring medically accurate fetal models representing the number of abortions in Kansas annually. The exhibit recorded 19,811 abortions in 2024. The display has visited communities across Kansas and was recently hosted at Kansas State University by members of a student pro-life chapter.
Jennings concluded his remarks by encouraging supporters to remain committed. "History doesn't remember the people who went along to get along. It remembers the people who stood up when it was hardest to defend what mattered most."
