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Kansans vote in favor of abortion rights in their state


Voters cast their ballots at the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Wichita, Kansas on August 2, 2022 as voters decide on a constitutional amendment regarding abortion in their state.

Nathan Posner | Anadolu Agency | beautiful pictures

Kansas voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly defeated a proposal amending constitution will remove language that respects reproductive rights in their state, in a move widely seen as a victory for abortion rights activists.

The proposed amendment is the first time anywhere in the United States that voters have voted on abortion since The Supreme Court overturned the Roe and Wade . case in June.

A voting question, called “The Value of Both Amendments”, was asked voters decide whether the state Constitution should continue protect the right to abortion. The proposed amendments for a state Constitution that would remove language guaranteeing reproductive rights and ask voters if they would like to leave abortion in the hands of a Republican-controlled legislature – an outcome that voters pro-abortion said to be all but inevitably lead to the removal or reduction of such rights.

A “yes” vote on this measure would remove the right to abortion from the state Constitution and return the matter to the state legislature. A “no” vote on the measure would change nothing, preserving the abortion rights enshrined in the state Constitution.

Anti-abortion activists have argued The Kansas ballot question provided an opportunity to get the matter into the hands of voters through the state’s elected legislators. Abortion rights advocates warn that ratification of the ballot measure will almost certainly lead to the elimination or reduction of existing rights in a country with more lenient laws than many of its neighbors. neighbor.

The voting question has been planned for more than a year, but it has taken on greater significance in the weeks since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, ending the country’s constitutional right to abortion. federal.

Early voting in the state began in mid-July, and the Kansas secretary of state’s office reported that, as of last Tuesday – more than twice because many people voted earlier at the same time in the last midterm primaries in 2018. Groups on both sides of the issue covered the Kansas wave. millions of dollars in advertising money.

The measure replaces the 2019 Kansas Supreme Court ruling that the state’s Constitution guarantees the right to an abortion. Doing so would allow the state legislature to pass legislation restricting or banning abortion.

Abortion rights advocates also argue that there are a number of factors working against them, including the arrangement of the ballot questions and the timing of the ballot.

For one, they have expressed concerns about the featured voting measure language They argued it was intentionally designed to confuse voters. For example, the language used on the ballot says that a “yes” to the question would assert that “the constitution of Kansas does not require the government to fund abortion” – although no such requirement exists. request – “and does not create or guarantee the right to abortion.” A “yes” vote would assert that “the people, through their elected state representatives and state senators, may passing abortion-related legislation,” which lawmakers are currently restricting from doing based on the 2019 court ruling.

Abortion rights advocates supported a “no” vote on the measures, which did not change the status quo.

On the eve of the vote, voters reportedly received misleading text messages However, telling them a “yes” vote will protect the right to have an abortion. It is not clear who is responsible for sending the message.

Abortion rights advocates denounced the move. “This is yet another example of the desperate and deceptive tactics of the Value Them Both campaign, lying to Kansas voters,” said Ashley All, a spokeswoman for the Constitutional Liberals.

Their values ​​Both alliances deny that they are responsible for communications.

“Everything about how this effort is done in a way obscures that end goal,” said Ashley All, a spokeswoman for Kansas for Constitutional Freedom, an abortion rights advocacy group that helped spearhead the efforts. opposed the amendment, told NBC News in a recent interview.

Abortion rights advocates have argued that with Roe’s departure, the stakes are too high to leave the matter in the hands of state GOP legislators. They point to a number of recently proposed bills that would restrict or ban abortion – including someone introduced in March — which they say will inevitably be reintroduced in upcoming sessions of the state legislature if the Kansas ballot initiative is successful.

In contrast, opponents of abortion argue that the issue is decided by voters through their representatives to be more democratic.

“This is not an abortion ban,” Republican Representative Tory Marie Arnberger, a supporter of the initiative that helped put it on the August ballot, told NBC News in a recent interview. . “I’m a big fan of the fact that each state has its own regulation on abortion. With Roe v. Wade overturned, it’s now up to each state and I think each state’s legislature will decide what to do. is best for their state,” she added.

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According to the Guttmacher Institute, abortion in Kansas is legal until about the 22nd week of pregnancy. Under state law, women seeking abortion care are subject to a number of regulations, such as a 24-hour waiting period between seeking counseling and receiving the procedure and parental consent. with minors.

However, these rules are much less restrictive than those in neighboring states. In Missouri and Oklahoma, the law went into effect almost immediately following a Supreme Court ruling in late June banning nearly all abortion care in those states.

At least 22 states have banned or will early ban on abortion. The new landscape makes Kansas a more distinct part of the region and a safe haven for in-state and out-of-state women seeking abortion care — but that could be reduced or gone. lost if this measure is passed.



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