A constitutional amendment that would have restricted residents’ access to abortion was soundly rejected by Kansas voters on Tuesday, defying polling and political analysts who had predicted a close decision.
Voters rejected the ballot measure by a 60-40 margin late on Tuesday following a protracted and expensive campaign that featured false claims from amendment backers and the dismantling of safeguards by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Voters were asked to decide whether to eliminate Kansas’s right to abortion by voting “yes” or to keep it by voting “no” on a convoluted constitutional amendment.
Given that there will be elections for both congressional seats and the office of governor in November, the result could have significant political ramifications. Additionally, it means that access to reproductive healthcare will continue to be available in a state where last year, nearly 8,000 patients—including six girls under the age of 14—had abortions.
The proposed constitutional amendment is a response to a Kansas Supreme Court ruling from 2019 that invalidated a state law that forbade a common second-term abortion procedure. The court ruled that the choice to end a pregnancy falls under the state constitution’s Bill of Rights, which guarantees the right to bodily autonomy.
When Roe v. Wade was reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court, enabling each state to set its own regulations for reproductive health care, this meant that abortion remained legal in Kansas. The first state to vote on abortion rights in the post-Roe era was Kansas, which garnered international interest.
The result clearly shows that “the majority of Americans agree that women should have access to abortion and should have the freedom to make their own health care decisions,” according to a statement from President Joe Biden.
In unexpectedly high numbers, voters turned out in the state’s urban areas, but turnout in rural areas lagged behind that of the presidential election two years prior.
The failure of the amendment, according to Dawn Rattan, who was present at the Overland Park watch party, demonstrates that people worldwide want women to have a choice in reproductive health care. When the outcome was revealed, she broke down in tears.
The Kansas Supreme Court’s decision would have been overturned if the constitutional amendment had been approved, and the Legislature would have been able to enact any restrictions on abortion without regard to rape, incest, or a patient’s health. Because the amendment was defeated, Kansas will continue to have strict laws governing abortion.
Millions of dollars were spent on campaigns by both the amendment’s supporters and opponents to inform and sway voters.
The so-called Value Them Both Coalition consistently refutes assertions that the amendment amounts to an abortion ban while refusing to say whether it would support one if the amendment were to pass. However, Kansas Reflector was able to collect recordings that showed proponents of the abortion amendment already had legislation in mind that would outright forbid abortion from conception until birth.
Due to the disapproval of Reflector news articles by the Value Them Both Coalition, the organization refused admission to Kansas Reflector to its election night watch party.
The Value Them Both Coalition spokesman Dannielle Underwood said in a statement that the election results on Tuesday are just a temporary setback.
