Residents of Kansas head to the polls tomorrow to decide whether the Constitution of this traditionally conservative state should be amended to remove the guarantee of the right to abortion. Those in favor of the change – the “yes” supporters – say it would allow lawmakers to regulate abortion without interference from the judiciary. Banning abortion is not the official goal of the “Value Them Both” campaign.
But on the other side, activists see the constitutional amendment as a thinly veiled attempt to pave the way for a clear cut ban by the Republican-dominated local legislature, which would follow in the footsteps of at least eight other US states since the US Supreme Court’s decision in June.
Proponents of the “no” side watch anxiously as neighboring states of Missouri and Oklahoma have imposed near-total bans (Missouri does not allow exceptions for rape or incest).
In Kansas itself, a local conservative elected official introduced a bill this year that would ban abortion without exceptions for rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother. Currently, abortion is legal in Kansas up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. Parental authorization is required for minors.
“Ultimately, the amendment takes away that right to personal autonomy enjoyed by all Kansas residents,” Ashley All, spokesperson for the Kansans for Kansans’ “No” campaign, told AFP. Constitutional Freedom” (KCF). “And that we are able to make decisions regarding our bodies, our families, our future without government interference is a right.”
