This election was seen as a political test at the national level, many conservative states having already banned or intending to quickly ban any right to abortion.
“Make my voice heard”
As soon as the result was announced, the defenders of the right to abortion celebrated the victory of their camp. This is a “remarkable” result, said Ashley All, spokesperson for the abortion rights campaign. “The people of Kansas understood that this amendment would impose government control over private medical decisions,” she said. “Kansans stood up for basic rights today,” Kansas Democratic Governor Laura Kelly tweeted.
Moments following the polls closed, Kansas election overseer Scott Schwab said turnout was at least 50%, a figure in line with expectations for this type of poll.
“I don’t think anyone can say what a woman can do with her body”
At 19, Morgan Spoor voted for the first time and assured that he wanted to promote “the right to choose”. “I really want to make my voice heard, especially as a woman. I don’t think anyone can say what a woman can do with her body. »
Prairie Village resident Chris Ehly also spoke out once morest changing the Constitution to “respect” his wife and daughter, who are “adamant on the matter.” On the contrary, Sylvia Brantley, 60, said “yes” to the change because she believes that “babies matter too”. She said she wants more regulations, so that Kansas isn’t a place “where babies are killed.”
Complicated political reality
Even though abortion advocates have won a clear victory in Kansas, they are watching with anxiety the neighboring states of Missouri and Oklahoma, which have imposed near-total bans. Missouri does not allow exceptions for rape or incest.
Other states, including California and Kentucky, are due to vote on the issue in November, coinciding with midterm congressional elections in which Republicans and Democrats hope to rally their supporters around abortion.
The result in Kansas means that abortion will remain legal until 22 weeks of pregnancy. Parental authorization is required for minors.
The vote, which coincided with the Kansas primaries, represented the first opportunity for American voters to express their views on abortion since the Supreme Court overturned its landmark 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade.
Democrats strongly support abortion rights, while conservatives generally support at least some restrictions. But in Kansas, the political reality is more complicated. The state leans heavily Republican and has not voted for a Democrat in the White House since 1964.
The case of Idaho
In addition, the government of Joe Biden filed a complaint on Tuesday once morest a law in the state of Idaho which prohibits almost all abortions. The Democratic president had promised to do everything possible to defend access to abortions following the Supreme Court decision.
Although his room for maneuver is limited, his Minister of Justice Merrick Garland had set up a unit responsible for evaluating the laws adopted in the wake of this decision by the States opposed to abortion.
Idaho, a rural and conservative state in the American West, was among the first to adopt a new law, supposed to take effect on August 25, which authorizes abortions only to save a woman’s life. pregnant.