Mark Gietzen, a prominent anti-abortion activist and president of the Kansas Republican Assembly, died in a plane crash in Nebraska on Tuesday evening.
Gietzen’s Cessna 172 crashed around 6 p.m. a few miles north and east of Chambers.
The Holt County Sheriff’s Office identified Gietzen as the pilot Wednesday afternoon in a written statement. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was on the plane.
“The aircraft was identified as a 1963 Cessna 172. The aircraft had flown from Newton, Kansas and was enroute to North Dakota at the time of the crash,” the Holt County Sheriff’s Office said.
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Gietzen, one of the nation’s leading anti-abortion activists, was instrumental in a Republican takeover of Kansas politics in the early 1990s in the wake of the “Summer of Mercy” clinic blockades in Wichita.
People are also reading…
Most recently, Gietzen spearheaded an effort to force a recount of the vote on the August 2022 “Value Them Both” amendment, the first statewide referendum on abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Kansas voters rejected the amendment, which said the state constitution did not include the right to an abortion and would have allowed lawmakers to impose further restrictions or a ban on the procedure. The recount confirmed the loss for the anti-abortion movement. Before the election, Gietzen filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab seeking to block the use of ballot drop boxes.
Harrison Ford was reminded of his near-fatal plane crash while filming ‘1923’ with Dame Helen Mirren.
Top Journal Star photos for May 2023
Elkhorn South’s Cole Eaton celebrates after scoring a triple in the sixth inning during the Class A boys state baseball tournament, Friday, May 12, 2023, at Werner Park in Papillion.
Lacey Eddy (right), Scottish Rite Educator of the Year, embraces kindergarten students, including Reina Schomaker (left), after she was honored at an announcement ceremony Friday at Hartley Elementary.
Creighton Prep’s Thomas Pisasale (3) hits a back flip while being cheered on by Max Matthies (7) and Jack Johnson (11) after scoring the go-ahead goal against Lincoln Southwest during a Class A state semifinal match Friday in Omaha.
Omaha Duchesne’s Sophie Owens (left) looks to pass to an open teammate during the Class B girls state soccer tournament, Thursday, May 11, 2023, at Morrison Stadium in Omaha.
Lincoln fighter Andrew Huffman is stuck in the face by Kwajuan Mensah during their bout in Dynasty Combat Sport’s Annual Spring Brawl on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.
Bennington’s Ethan Korth (from left) and Conestoga’s Kaden Simmerman and Rowdy Watson compete for the ball during the Class B boys state soccer tournament, Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at Morrison Stadium in Omaha.
Lincoln Southwest runs to celebrate after defeating Lincoln Pius X in a penalty kick shootout at the Class A girls state soccer tournament Tuesday in Omaha.
Lincoln Southeast’s Angel Arellanes (right) and Papillion-La Vista South’s Brodie Anderson (16) clash during the Class A boys state soccer tournament Monday in Omaha.
Mid-Plains Community College’s Casey Reis gets shaken off during a bull-riding event for the Cornhusker College Rodeo at the Lancaster Event Center on Saturday, May 6, 2023.
Conestoga’s Pelayo Biagioni lifts Jayden Widler on his shoulders to celebrate a 3-2 shootout win against Norris in the B-8 district championship on Saturday in Firth.
Kristin Syde carries her niece Margot Wyrick, 1, as she runs with her daughter Anna Syde, 6, during the Mayor’s Run Saturday at the state Capitol.
Wahoo/BN/LL’s players celebrate after defeating Waverly in the B-2 District final at Sam Crawford Field on Friday in Wahoo.
Lincoln Southwest players take turns kissing the A-2 District championship plaque after defeating Elkhorn South on Thursday at Seacrest Field.
Lincoln East JV’s Reid Voog loses his grip on his golf club after driving the ball from the sixth hole tee box during the LPS Boys Golf Championship on Thursday, May 4, 2023, at Mahoney Golf Course in Lincoln.
Cars drive across a bridge along North 27th street, as a low water level measuring around 2.0 ft reveals the creek bed underneath, one year before on the same date the water level was measuring nearly 4 ft, on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 in Lincoln. Drought conditions have gotten so bad in Lancaster County that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared it a disaster area. This most recent announcement expands drought disaster designations to more than two-thirds of the state’s counties. Last month, the department designated 55 counties as primary disaster areas.
Lincoln City Council candidate Tom Duden (right) embraces his wife Ronda Duden (center), along with his brother-in-law Rob Treptow at a Republican election night watch party Tuesday at Rosie’s Downtown.
Adam Morefeld is hugged by Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird as she enters an election night party for Democrats on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at the DelRay Ballroom in Lincoln.
An excavator works to clear debris from the area where a section of the Gold’s Building once stood as redevelopment of the site continues on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, along 11th and N streets in Lincoln.
Arwen Wiechman, third grade, spins around while learning ballet during the Everett Community Learning Center after-school program on Monday. Dancers from the American Ballet Theatre led the students in dance exercises in advance of the company’s performances on Tuesday and Wednesday of “Giselle” at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25724877/Super_Nintendo_World.png "The next Nintendo Direct is all about Super Nintendo World’s Donkey Kong Country")
