ShawneeDispatch.com

Looking at Shawnee City Hall from Johnson Drive, the crowd of protesters and counterprotesters was drawn down party lines.

The group protesting against a state constitutional “Health Care Freedom” amendment, proposed by Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook, R-Shawnee, and other Republican state legislators, was largely on the left of the fountain in front of City Hall. Those supporting Pilcher-Cook and protesting against the federal healthcare reform bill stood to the right.

But while a few yelling matches broke out between the opposing sides, Shawnee police officers were on hand to keep the peace and the protests were largely peaceful.

The Kansas City Young Democrats announced Thursday they were organizing a “March for Health Care Reform” to protest Pilcher-Cook’s proposed amendment, which would prohibit requiring Kansans to buy health insurance under a government plan. Americans for Prosperity, a group that opposes government expansion of health care, quickly organized a counterprotest. Both groups met at City Hall around 9:30 a.m. Saturday, protesting until about noon.

Skye Coleman of Merriam was one of those who helped organize the protest, explaining it included members of the Kansas City Young Democrats, the Kansas Young Democrats, Johnson County Democratic Women and other groups.

“We felt like the best action was to take action in her district and make sure that she knew that her constituents do not stand with her in trying to opt Kansas out of federal healthcare reform that we’ve been fighting for for years,” he said.

The counterprotest brought out Pilcher-Cook as well as Republican congressional candidate Patricia Lightner and KMBZ 980 talk show host Darla Jaye.

Pilcher-Cook spoke to the crowd in front of the City Hall steps and later on the counterprotest side of the fountain. She said she was proud so may turned out to demonstrate on such short notice.

“I think people are very concerned that they could be on the verge of losing their liberty in regards to their healthcare,” she said. “The Healthcare Freedom Amendment gives them an opportunity to speak with their votes and their voices, preserving their freedoms on who they can pick for their doctors, who they select for their healthcare providers, whether they have health insurance or not, what kind of health insurance, and not to be told by the government what kind of healthcare is best for Kansas.”

Those opposing Pilcher-Cook’s amendment chanted “public option,” “healthcare reform now” and call and answer chants like “What do we want? Healthcare. When do we want it? Now.”

Karen Martellaro of Lenexa held a sign that read “W.W.J.D? (what would Jesus do?) Heal the sick.” She said she supports healthcare reform because she was a single mother at age 37 with a condition that caused her to have seizures, and she couldn’t get insurance coverage. She has a younger brother in a similar position — he can’t get coverage because of his pre-existing condition.

She also saw what insurance troubles could lead to in her career.

“I was a geriatric nurse for 24 years and saw some of the saddest souls come into nursing homes because they didn’t have health care,” she said.

Kathy Cook of Shawnee, holding a sign that read “Honk 4 Healthcare,” said she came to the rally because she has four friends whose children have pre-existing conditions and can’t get insurance. She said she thinks it’s wrong “for a state representative who is supposed to protect her constituents, for her to deny us the option to participate in national healthcare.”

“To say that the costs are too great; we are paying for people who don’t have healthcare now, and they’re receiving inadequate care because of it,” she said. “You can’t profess to be a Christian and not care about your fellow man and your neighbors. I have healthcare; I pay for my healthcare. It’s expensive. I would love for the premiums to come down, but I’m more concerned about young people who have been afflicted through no fault of their own not being able to afford it in the future.”

Those who arrived in support of Pilcher-Cook and opposed to healthcare reform chanted things like “Kill the bill” and “Thank you Mary.”

Laura Zauchenberger of Lake Quivira counterprotested with her mother, Cecilia Sandifer, and sister, Joann Hansen, holding a sign that read “Obamacare is the end of care.”

“I’m here because Mary Pilcher-Cook is standing up for what I believe in and always has,” she said. “And I don’t care what they’re fighting against, I’ll be here for her. I believe in what she’s doing, and I believe that for about $35 or $40 billion a year we could allow every underserved person in this country to buy their own insurance. But we won’t even look at these options. I believe what they’re trying to do is get more control, government control, and that’s not what America’s all about.”

Rick Hulett of Overland Park held a sign that read “No socialized medicine.” He said he saw the healthcare reform issue as the federal government adding another facet of control over state governments.

“When it becomes a case of the federal government is pervasive in every avenue of your life, then why even have a state government?” he said. “What I’d like to see is the states have a right to put together a healthcare bill of their own that at least drives the core elements of what we really want to see, which is not to tear the entire current system apart, but rather restructure, reform it.”

However, he said he didn’t mind the opposing protesters present Saturday.

“It’s impassioned, it’s American; it is exactly what this country is founded upon, which is the right to disagree and try to come together in the overall, bigger scheme of things,” Hulett said. “When we look at something as big as this, I think it’s good for people to get involved because it helps them to understand what’s going on when they go to vote.”

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