Kansas State Representative Stephanie Clayton, an abortion rights supporter who was Republican and is now a Democrat, reacts as a referendum to remove abortion rights from the constitution of the State fails.
Danielle Kurtzleben/NPR
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Danielle Kurtzleben/NPR
Kansas State Representative Stephanie Clayton, an abortion rights supporter who was Republican and is now a Democrat, reacts as a referendum to remove abortion rights from the constitution of the State fails.
Danielle Kurtzleben/NPR
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas voters on Tuesday rejected a state-proposed constitutional amendment that would have declared there was no right to abortion in the state, according to the Associated Press.
Kansas was the first state to vote on abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
President Joe Biden welcomed Tuesday’s vote and called on Congress to pass legislation to restore nationwide abortion rights that were provided by Roe.
“This vote clearly shows what we know: the majority of Americans agree that women should have access to abortion and should have the right to make their own health care decisions,” Biden said in a statement.
Kansas For Constitutional Freedom, the leading abortion rights group that opposes the amendment, called the victory “enormous and decisive.”
“The people of Kansas have spoken,” said Rachel Sweet, the group’s campaign manager. “They believe abortion should be safe, legal and accessible in the state of Kansas.”
This year, a registration number Abortion questions will be on state ballots, and many are calling for Kansas’ decision on Tuesday to be an indicator of what’s to come.
Ahead of the vote, supporters of the amendment argued it needed to correct what they say was the Kansas Supreme Court’s overreach in reversing some of the state’s previous abortion restrictions in 2019.
Opponents argued that the amendment would force state lawmakers to pursue a total ban on abortion.
A landslide victory
Struggling to speak after the race was called, Jae Moyer, 23, said the decisive victory in the red state was surprising.
“It never looked like this in Kansas,” Moyer said. “It’s so amazing. I’m so proud of where I am right now.”
Planned Parenthood has donated millions of dollars to the opposition effort.
“Anti-abortion politicians put this amendment on the primary ballot in an effort to reduce turnout,” said Emily Wales of Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, “but they ignored the Kansans, who loudly said that they believe and trust patients to make their own medical decisions.”
Access to abortion in Kansas remains limited. The state has only four clinics where abortions remain available, all in the Wichita and Kansas City areas.
This leaves many Kansans in the western part of the state hundreds of miles from abortion services. Many are closer to abortion providers in other states, such as Colorado.
Women’s Trust, which operates two of the clinics in Kansas, said it will continue to provide abortion care while working to expand access statewide.
“We cannot be content with the status quo,” the organization said. “The loss of Roe has resulted in an unprecedented and fabricated health care crisis that is not resolved by this election.”
Abortion opponents say they’re not done
Kansans For Life, a major political group that opposes abortion rights, said in a press release that the vote is a temporary setback and that the organization remains committed to continuing its work against abortion.
“Although the result was not what we hoped for, our movement and our campaign have proven our determination and commitment,” the organization said. “We will not abandon women and babies.”
But it’s unclear what else can be done to further restrict abortion in Kansas.
Republican Senator Molly Baumgardner, who supported sending the amendment to voters, said abortion opponents will have to consider new restrictions to try to reduce the number of abortions in the state.
“Tonight’s loss is disappointing,” she said. “This struggle for truth and the struggle for life will continue in the state of Kansas.”
Republicans, for the most part, remained silent ahead of Tuesday and did not say how much they wanted to restrict abortion access if the amendment passed.
Kansas’ abortion restrictions already plan to limit abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy to cases where the life of the pregnant person is in danger. The condition also requires an ultrasound before a procedure.
These restrictions would have remained in place whether or not the amendment passed. The vote in this red state may be a sign of what’s to come in other abortion votes across the country later this year.