Kansas votes to preserve abortion rights in first post-Roe election test

The vote was the first statewide referendum on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision in June

Field organiser Jae Grey places signs on the podium before the pro-choice Kansas for Constitutional Freedom primary election watch party in Overland Park, Kansas, on August 2, 2022. | Photo Credit: AFP

Kansas voters on Tuesday rejected a state constitutional amendment that would have declared there is no right to abortion, Edison Research projected, delivering a win to abortion rights advocates in a deeply conservative state.

The vote was the first statewide referendum on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision in June. The ballot question drew national attention as an early indicator of whether abortion rights will motivate voters in November’s midterm elections.

The amendment’s failure will prevent Kansas’ Republican-led legislature from passing severe abortion restrictions without violating the state constitution.

It will also preserve a key abortion access point in America’s heartland. Patients travel to Kansas for abortions from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and other states that have banned the procedure almost entirely since the Supreme Court overturned Roe, the 1973 case that legalised abortion nationwide.

Kansas’ Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that the state constitution protected abortion rights. As a result, Kansas has maintained more lenient policies than other conservative neighbours.

The state allows abortion up to 22 weeks of pregnancy with several additional restrictions including a mandatory 24-hour waiting period and mandatory parental consent for minors.