Updated on 08/03/2022 02:18 p.m
- The citizens of the US state of Kansas voted to preserve abortion rights.
- In a referendum, they refused with a clear majority to remove the right to abortion from the state constitution.
- It is the first vote on the issue since the Supreme Court overturned the nation’s fundamental right to abortion on June 24.
In the US state of Kansas, a clear majority is emerging in favor of abortion rights, which continue to be protected by the constitution. Residents of the Midwestern state voted in a referendum on Tuesday to remove abortion rights from the constitution.
After counting 90 percent of the votes, according to the New York Times, the proportion of “no” votes was 59.2 percent late Tuesday evening (local time). Other US media reported similarly regarding the outcome.
The referendum in the state was the first vote on the issue since the US Supreme Court overturned the nation’s fundamental right to abortion on June 24.
Activists celebrate voting as a clear sign
In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, the Republican-dominated Kansas legislature introduced an amendment called “Value Them Both” (meaning women and children). The aim was to abolish the right to abortion enshrined in the state constitution – with the aim of leaving regulation to the legislature once more.
Abortion rights advocates saw the campaign as an attempt to pave the way for a total ban. A Conservative MP has already introduced a bill that would ban abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest or danger to the mother’s life. Currently, the state guarantees access to abortion up to the 22nd week. The state Supreme Court upheld abortion rights once more in 2019.
Activists for abortion rights celebrated the vote as a clear sign of voters’ will to go to politics. Kansas voters sided with the vast majority of the country, who support legal abortion rights, said Naral group president Mini Timmaraju.
Vote is considered a test case for abortion rights in the US as a whole
The state of Kansas, which is governed by a conservative majority, is thus a kind of refuge for pregnant women from nearby states such as Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, in which abortion is now banned with a few exceptions. If the referendum had turned out the opposite way, the regional parliament would probably have passed a law that would also largely ban abortion in Kansas.
The vote is also seen as a test case for abortion rights in the US as a whole. Numerous Republican-dominated states have passed or are paving the way for strict abortion bans following the decision of the Supreme Court in Washington.
In other states like California and Kentucky, citizens will vote on the issue in November, coinciding with the midterm congressional elections. Both Republicans and Democrats hope to mobilize their supporters with the issue.
The Supreme Court reversed the Roe v. Wade landmark judgment on June 24
On June 24, the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 landmark “Roe v. Wade” ruling that enshrined a nationwide fundamental right to abortion. The decision caused a political earthquake and is considered a historical turning point. Because there is no federal law on abortion, states can now largely or completely ban abortion.
A far-reaching ban on abortion is soon to come into force in the state of Idaho. The US government therefore sued the state on Tuesday – the first such step since the end of “Roe v. Wade”. In Idaho, abortions will only be allowed if the life of the pregnant woman is in danger. The protection of women’s health, on the other hand, is not a sufficient justification for an abortion.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Tuesday that this violates a federal law that allows abortion if it is a “necessary stabilizing measure in a medical emergency.” “We will use every tool at our disposal to ensure pregnant women receive the emergency medical treatment to which federal law provides them.” (pak / dpa / AFP)
© dpa
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Updated on 06/27/2022 at 10:56 am
Congresswoman Mary Miller caused a stir in the US state of Illinois. At a campaign rally, the Republican called the Supreme Court’s ruling on abortion rights a “victory for white lives.”
Teaser image: © dpa / Evert Nelson/The Topeka Capital-Journal/AP/dpa