The people have spoken and pro-life activists have been defeated in the Kansas abortion vote
More than 900,000 ballots were cast in the Kansas abortion vote – a third of the state’s total population.
Of this number, 60 per cent said no to removing the constitutional right to abortion.
Pro-choice advocates right across the United States have celebrated the result. The vote was the first public test of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Now the question is what’s next for abortion bans? And do they even stand a chance?
Kansas is a deeply red state, but when it comes to abortion, it seems to be more purple (or violet, even).
Republican Kansan lawmakers had hoped the vote would pave the way for more restrictive laws in the future.
This evidently backfired and experts say the result in itself will reverberate far beyond the region’s borders.
Kansas voters saying no to constitutional amendment canceling protection for abortion rights. Could be important key to midterms this fall.
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) August 3, 2022
Montana has added abortion to the ballot for the upcoming November midterm elections.
In Kentucky, voters will also have the opportunity to decide whether laws should be amended.
These are the ones to watch to see whether the Republican’s anti-abortion rhetoric actually stacks up.
On the other side of the coin, California and Vermont are pushing to further enshrine the medical procedure in their respective constitutions.
Do American voters in conservative states even want to restrict abortion?
It doesn’t seem so.
A new poll has found only a quarter of residents want their state to ban abortion following the overturning of Roe.
This number includes less than a third of people who live in states already outlawing the procedure.
The Kansas abortion vote and this new polling will almost certainly have Red State Republicans shaking in their boots.
Should they stick with their decision to support anti-abortion laws and risk public dissatisfaction? Or do they push ahead and hope for the best?
Only time will tell.
