Kansas state Rep. Stephanie Clayton, an abortion rights supporter who was a Republican and is now a Democrat, reacts as a referendum to strip abortion rights out of the state structure fails.
Danielle Kurtzleben/NPR
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Danielle Kurtzleben/NPR
Kansas state Rep. Stephanie Clayton, an abortion rights supporter who was a Republican and is now a Democrat, reacts as a referendum to strip abortion rights out of the state structure fails.
Danielle Kurtzleben/NPR
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Voters in Kansas rejected a proposed state constitutional modification Tuesday that may have mentioned there was no proper to an abortion within the state, in accordance with The Related Press.
Kansas was the primary state to vote on abortion rights because the U.S. Supreme Courtroom handed down its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson’s Ladies’s Well being Group.
The vote, for now, preserves entry to abortion in Kansas and serves as a rebuke to the regional pattern of states considerably limiting entry. For the reason that overturning of Roe v. Wade, Kansas has turn out to be an abortion vacation spot for folks from different states.
“This vote makes clear what we all know: nearly all of Individuals agree that girls ought to have entry to abortion and may have the precise to make their very own well being care selections,” President Biden mentioned in a press release following the vote. “Congress ought to hearken to the desire of the American folks and restore the protections of Roe as federal legislation.”
In Kansas, supporters of the modification argued that it was essential to appropriate what they are saying was the Kansas Supreme Courtroom’s overreach in putting down a few of the state’s earlier abortion restrictions in 2019.
Opponents argued that the modification would set state lawmakers as much as pursue a complete abortion ban.
Republicans, for probably the most half, remained quiet earlier than Tuesday and would not say how far they wished to limit abortion entry if the modification handed.
Kansas does limit abortion within the state, together with limiting abortions after 22 weeks of being pregnant to instances the place the pregnant particular person’s life is in peril. The state additionally requires an ultrasound earlier than a process, amongst others.
These restrictions would have remained in place whether or not the modification handed or failed. The vote on this pink state could also be an indication of what is to return in different abortion votes across the nation later this 12 months.
Dylan Lysen reviews on politics for the Kansas Information Service.