Kansas voters soundly reject anti-abortion amendment, in 1st major test of post-Roe politics
![Abortion rights supporters celebrate in Kansas](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BmfyAaTf68UY7EUao6YyKb-415-80.jpg)
Voters in Kansas on Tuesday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed the Republican-dominated state Legislature to restrict or ban abortions in the state, negating a 2019 state Supreme Court decision upholding abortion rights in the state. The Associated Press and other news organizations projected the amendment's defeat at 9:40 p.m. local time on Tuesday night, and the main pro-amendment group conceded their loss about 20 minutes later.
With 86 percent of the vote counted, the amendment was going down to defeat 60 percent to 40 percent. "The referendum in the conservative state was the first test of U.S. voter sentiment about abortion rights since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June," AP reports. Amendment supporters and opponents spent more than $14 million on their campaigns.
Kansas allows abortion up to 22 weeks of pregnancy, and the state Supreme Court locked that into place that by ruling that the Kansas Constitution guarantees the right to bodily autonomy and therefore the right to terminate a pregnancy. The unexpectedly decisive rejection of Tuesday's amendment effectively cements that status quo, making Kansas one of only three states in the Midwest that can't or are unlikely to ban abortions, The Topeka Capital-Journal reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Lawmakers controversially placed the measure on the August primary ballot, a move that was criticized, as the primary election typically turns out an electorate that is more conservative and has fewer Democrat and unaffiliated voters," the Capital-Journal reports. "But voter registration soared statewide in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision," and Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab predicted that turnout could wind up matching the record voting numbers from the 2008 presidential election.
Urban and several rural counties rejected the amendment, and the narrow majorities of "yes" votes in solidly conservative counties was not enough to tip the balance.
"The overwhelming support for abortion rights in a traditionally conservative state bolsters Democrats' hopes that the historic Supreme Court ruling will animate their voters in an otherwise difficult election year for their party," The Washington Post reports. Abortion opponents will have their next shot at reviving the issue as soon as November, The Wichita Eagle reports, when they'll "attempt to oust members of the Supreme Court that declared abortion to be a right."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The lab-made meat that 'could kill the EU'
Under The Radar Concerned at 'unintended consequences for farming' some farmers are 'turning rabid' over the rise of cultured meat
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine solutions - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
Magazine printables - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
Netanyahu makes controversial address
Speed Reads Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress denounced Gaza war protestors
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Menendez convicted of bribery, fraud, and extortion
Speed Read The New Jersey Democratic Senator was found guilty in a federal corruption trial
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Florida judge dismisses Trump documents case
Speed Read Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that special counsel Jack Smith was improperly appointed
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Hamas says military chief survived Israeli strike
Speed Read An Israeli bombing failed to hit its intended target, military commander Mohammed Deif, but killed at least 90 Palestinians
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
First Israeli report on Oct. 7 finds 'severe mistakes and errors' in IDF response
Speed Reads Israeli military admits failures in response to deadly Hamas attack that triggered Gaza war
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Biden saw neurologist during physicals
Speed Read Following his bad debate performance, many are asking questions about the president's brain
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published