Abortion was on the ballot in Kansas. Access won.
By: Nicole Narea
Kansans voted decisively against a ballot measure on Tuesday that would have allowed state lawmakers to further restrict abortion access in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which could have severely limited abortion access in the region.
The measure, known as the “Value Them Both Amendment,” was defeated 59 to 41 percent (as of Wednesday morning). The campaign director of Kansans for Constitutional Freedom, the pro-abortion rights group that worked to sink the amendment, hailed their victory as “truly an historic day for Kansas and an historic day for America.” Value Them Both, the group that backed the amendment, promised to ensure their loss is just “a temporary setback.”
Before the vote, it was unclear what would happen. Past polls showed Kansas to be evenly divided between those who support abortion access and those against it, and polling conducted ahead of the election suggested that voters were closely divided over the measure.
But the final result wasn’t particularly close, and appears to represent the will of a broad swath of Kansas voters. Turnout was supercharged. Votes are still being counted as of Wednesday morning, but roughly 47 percent of eligible voters — more than 900,000 Kansans — cast ballots on the issue. That’s nearly double the participation seen in the last midterms in 2018, and 11 percentage points higher than the secretary of state predicted.
Kansas was the first state to vote on abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization.
President Joe Biden hailed Tuesday’s vote and called on Congress to pass a law to restore nationwide abortion rights that were provided by Roe.
“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,” Biden said in a statement.
Kansas For Constitutional Freedom, the main abortion rights group opposing the amendment, called the victory “huge and decisive.”
“The people of Kansas have spoken,” said Rachel Sweet, campaign manager for the group. “They think that abortion should be safe, legal and accessible in the state of Kansas.”
This year, a record number of abortion questions will be on state ballots, and many are asking Kansas’ decision Tuesday will be an indicator of what is to come.
Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash
The funny thing about all of this is that conservatives don’t care about abortions.
They don’t care.
They know that abortions do not actually save children or stop women from having abortions.
Abortion rates go down when countries make it legal: report
Access to contraceptives, investing in affordable healthcare, and safety nets for mothers and families.
These are the things that actually lower abortion rates:
The GOP is not concerned about life and death.
Their concern is power, control, and punishment. Power to stay in their positions of “leadership”. To make single-issue voters out of evangelical white Christians. To distract them from the fact that their lives do not get improved by GOP leadership.
It’s no surprise to me that the states that are keen on implementing anti-Abortion laws are also the states with the highest concentration of poor Americans and Americans of color: Black women.
Black and Hispanic people have the most to lose if Roe is overturned
“Abortion restrictions are racist … They directly impact people of color, Black, brown, Indigenous people … people who are trying to make ends meet.”
This is why the conservatives will have no problem revoking Roe v. Wade. When marginalized groups face the brunt of an attack, it’s easier to justify and ignore.
Abortion rights protect Black women. Therefore they protect everyone. Because protecting the most vulnerable group often does benefit everyone.
With that being said, abortion for some Black Americans is an unacceptable topic. For good reason: our history of being attacked, killed, our children and sisters being slaughtered.
This is why abortion must be federally protected.
Regardless of how we feel, it is the truth.
You can’t be anti-abortion and pro-life. Because abortion saves lives.
Again, abortion has been used as a political tool to garner more power and obtain a “leadership position”. The GOP leadership has enabled the worst fears of low-information voters and have abused their religious belief solely for the purpose to become lawmakers.
Not to protect children and families.
And it is low-income women, Brown women, and Black women that suffer the most.
All is not lost though, because we have communities and organizations that can provide as many services as we can.
And promote these organizations!
7 Organizations to Donate to In Order to Protect Roe v. Wade
Please share the above link with your mothers, daughters, sisters, and girlfriends.
Oh, and for the men who don’t believe they will be affected by this, the GOP is also making pushed toward contraceptives (condoms).
Imagine the conservative base being emboldened after this eventually court decision. They walk into Walgreens and see the condoms behind the cashier’s desk.
“ What is this nastiness, pedophilia, programming Liberal nonsense is this!” I’m just saying.
So, men, you may want to pay attention, or you’ll be told to with your body by the government.
