In Kansas, the majority of the population has traditionally been conservative supporters of the Republican Party. Now the majority voted in favor of maintaining the right to abortion.
In the United States, the residents of Kansas have voted in favor of maintaining the right to abortion in the state. The result of Tuesday’s vote is considered an important victory for supporters of abortion rights.
Kansas is the first US state to vote on abortion rights at the state level after the country’s Supreme Court overturned universal abortion rights that previously existed throughout the federal state. Universal abortion rights have been in effect in the United States since 1973.
When 98 percent of the votes have been counted in Kansas, almost 60 percent of those who voted have voted in favor of maintaining the right to abortion.
The vote also prevents lawmakers in the Republican-led state from imposing significant restrictions on abortion in Kansas, which has become a key abortion hotspot in the American Midwest.
Patients come from, among others, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and other states that have almost completely banned abortion following the ruling of the country’s Supreme Court. It is estimated that more than 60 percent of abortion seekers in Kansas come from out of state.
Political experts had expected the abortion restriction legislation to pass on the ballot, as Republican supporters are typically more active voters than Democrats in state primaries.
A long battle in the background
Kansas Republicans have been pushing for an amendment to the state constitution — to repeal abortion rights — since 2019. At that time, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the state constitution guarantees the right to an abortion.
With the alignment, Kansas has retained broader abortion rights than its conservative neighbors.
In Kansas, abortion is allowed up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. However, it contains several restrictions, such as a mandatory 24-hour wait and parental consent for minors.
The voting result has raised hopes among the country’s democrats that the issue of abortion rights will move the people in the midterm elections in November, even though growing inflation is causing concern in the country.
Democrats, including the president Joe Biden, praised the result of Tuesday’s vote.
– This voting result makes clear what we know. The majority of Americans are of the opinion that women should have the right to an abortion and the right to decide about their own health, Biden said.