The amendment’s failure in the conservative state raised Democrats’ hopes that the abortion rights issue will draw voters to the party in November’s midterm elections, even as they worry about rising inflation. The outcome also would prevent the Republican-led Kansas Legislature from passing tough abortion restrictions in the state, which has become a key abortion access point for America’s heartland. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “This should be a real wake-up call for abortion opponents,” said Neil Allen, a political science professor at Wichita State University. “When a total ban looks like a possibility, then you’re going to attract a lot of people and lose a lot of the more moderate supporters of abortion restrictions.” Political analysts had expected the Kansas amendment to pass, given that Republicans typically turn out in larger numbers in state primaries than Democrats and independents. But Tuesday’s vote drew a higher than expected turnout. With 98 percent of the vote counted, 59 percent of voters favored maintaining abortion rights compared to nearly 41 percent who supported removing abortion protections from the state constitution, according to Edison Research. “This is a titanic result for Kansas politics,” Allen said. The Kansas ballot initiative is the first of several that will ask US voters to weigh in on abortion rights this year. Kentucky, California, Vermont and possibly Michigan will put abortion on the ballot this fall. The successful “vote no” campaign in Kansas could provide a blueprint for abortion rights groups seeking to harness voter energy in the wake of the Roe overturn, Allen said. US President Joe Biden joined Democrats across the country in applauding the results on Tuesday. “This vote makes clear what we know: A majority of Americans agree that women should have access to abortion and should have the right to make their own health care decisions,” Biden said in a statement. Abortion rights advocates react as early polls showed voters rejected a state constitutional amendment that would have declared no right to abortion, at a Kansans for Constitutional Freedom election watch party in Topeka, Kansas, US, August 2 2022. Evert Nelson/ USA Today Network via REUTERS.
read more A statewide survey released by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University in February found that most Kansas residents did not support a complete abortion ban. 60% disagreed that abortion should be completely illegal, and 50.5% said, “Kansas government should not make any regulations about the circumstances under which women can obtain abortions.” Kansas Republicans have been pushing for a state constitutional amendment to repeal abortion rights since 2019, when the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the state constitution protects the right to an abortion. As a result of the decision, Kansas has maintained more lenient policies than other conservative neighbors. The state allows abortion up to 22 weeks of pregnancy with several restrictions, including a mandatory 24-hour waiting period and mandatory parental consent for minors.

HIGH TRAVEL IN NOVEMBER

Patients travel to Kansas for abortions from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and other states that have banned the procedure almost entirely since the Supreme Court in June overturned Roe, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. A spokesperson for Trust Women’s abortion clinic in Wichita said 60 percent of abortion patients are from out of state. Tuesday’s referendum drew national attention and money. The Value Them Both Association, which sponsored the amendment, raised about $4.7 million this year, about two-thirds of it from regional Catholic dioceses, according to campaign finance data. Kansans for Constitutional Freedom, the main coalition opposing the amendment, raised about $6.5 million, including more than $1 million from Planned Parenthood groups. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a national anti-abortion group, said it spent $1.4 million to promote the amendment and surveyed 250,000 homes in Kansas. “Tonight’s loss is a huge disappointment to pro-life Kansans and Americans nationwide,” said Mallory Carroll, a spokeswoman for the group. “The stakes for the pro-life movement in the upcoming midterm elections could not be higher.” Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Gabriella Borter in Washington. Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Cynthia Osterman Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.