Kansas Upheld Abortion Rights in a Stunning Pro-Choice Victory

Photo credit: DAVE KAUP - Getty Images
Photo credit: DAVE KAUP - Getty Images

Safe, legal abortions will remain accessible in Kansas. On Tuesday, voters rejected a proposed amendment that would have erased the right to an abortion under the state's constitution and allowed lawmakers to begin restricting abortion access.

Kansas was the first state to hold a vote on abortion issues since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, a decision met with an outpouring of dismay from many Americans. And even in deep-red Kansas, voters upheld the right to an abortion resoundingly, with 58.8 percent voting "no," rejecting the amendment, to 41.2 percent voting "yes." Polls have shown broad opposition to outright abortion bans, and the Kansas results may suggest this issue will drive a real effect on turnout at the polls.

President Joe Biden responded to the Kansas results with a call for Congress to pass a law which would restore abortion access nationwide. "This vote makes clear what we know: the majority of Americans agree that women should have access to abortion and should have the right to make their own health care decisions," he said.

The Kansas City Star reports that the win for abortion-rights advocates made the chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood, Iman Alsaden, "sort of speechless."

“I’m so proud to be a provider in this community. I’m so proud that I get to serve this community. I moved here two years ago from Chicago with the intention of providing abortion care in a place where there were not a lot of providers,” Alsaden said. “It’s sort of unbelievable. I’m so proud to be able to go to work tomorrow and talk to my staff and give everyone a hug.”

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