Kansas Abortion Amendment Results
Kansans are the first U.S. states to place the abortion rights on the ballot after the U.S. Supreme Court decided in late June to strike down the constitutional protections of abortion. In Kansas, voters upheld abortion as a constitutionally protected activity, leaving intact the state Supreme Courts ruling from 2019.
Kansas Republicans had been pushing to repeal the states constitutional amendment on abortion rights since 2019, when the U.S. Supreme Court held that the states constitution protected the right to abortion.
LAWRENCE, Kansas - Voters in Kansas rejected a proposed state constitutional amendment on Tuesday that would have said there is no right to an abortion in Kansas, according to The Associated Press. OVERLAND PARK, Kan.
-- Voters defeated a proposed Kansas constitutional amendment in a landslide Tuesday that would have stripped residents of their right to abortion, defying predictions from polls and political observers who had expected a closer outcome.
Kansas primary voters are the first in the country to decide the right to abortion since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June. A yes vote for the measure, Amendment 2, would remove abortion from the states constitution, while a no vote would keep the Kansas constitutions abortion protections intact.
A no vote on the constitutional amendment maintained the status quo of heavily regulated, but legal, abortion in Kansas. The constitutional amendment on the ballot would permit politicians to ban abortions in Kansas, should it pass (a y vote).
A Yes vote for Kansass Amendment would have effectively reversed the state Supreme Courts ruling from 2019, and it would clear the way for the Republican supermajority in the Kansas Legislature to enact stricter abortion restrictions.
Kansas Constitutional Amendment Process
Kansas voters will decide Aug. 2 whether to amend the states constitution to include a provision saying that it does not guarantee abortion access. The amendment would put language into Kansass Constitution saying the Constitution does not guarantee access to abortion. The amendment would have to pass in order to repeal the right to an abortion.
A yes vote on an amendment would reaffirm that Kansas has no constitutional right to an abortion, and allow a GOP-controlled state legislature to enact new laws that would further restrict, and outright ban, access to abortion.
A yes vote would amend the Kansas constitution to say that the Kansas Constitution does not provide any abortion rights nor any requirements that government funds abortions. If a majority vote for this amendment is cast NO, that will mean the Kansas Constitution would stay as is, continuing to recognize a right to abortion.
Voters in Kansas rejected a proposed constitutional amendment on Tuesday to prohibit all recognition of abortion rights in the states Constitution, marking the first state referendum on reproductive rights since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down federal abortion access protections five weeks ago.
In the first ballot measure to address abortion after the Supreme Courts decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade, most voters in Kansas rejected a proposed amendment to the states constitution Tuesday that would remove the right to abortion recognized under the state Constitution by the Kansas Supreme Court.
The amendment was a reaction to the 2019 ruling of the Kansas Supreme Court which concluded the states constitutional protections for individual autonomy includes the right for individuals to terminate pregnancy.
How Many Amendments Does The Kansas Constitution Have
The proposed constitutional amendment is in response to the 2019 decision of the Kansas Supreme Court, which struck down the states law banning a routine procedure for abortions performed later in pregnancy. The Supreme Court of Kansas has said that it will not review any case in which the Kansas Supreme Court has banned the common procedure for second-term abortions.
Leading up to the rejection, supporters had said that the proposed state constitutional amendment was needed to rectify what they saw as the national Supreme Courts overreach by striking down a number of previous Kansas abortion restrictions in 2019.
The ballot measure also would codify the state Legislatures authority to enact laws that regulate abortion, effectively reversing the 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision recognizing the right of a woman to make decisions about her own body, including whether to continue a pregnancy, as defined by the states Constitution.
A yes vote for the measure, Amendment 2, would remove the abortion rights in the state Constitution, while a no vote would leave Kansass constitutional protections for abortion intact. The rejection marked a significant loss for abortion opponents both in Kansas and nationally. Nearly 60% of voters chose to retain access to abortions in Kansass constitution.
Kansas has attracted national attention as the first state to hold a ballot measure regarding abortion rights since the worlds first Roe v. Wade decision. In April of 1860, the House of Representatives voted to admit Kansas Territory to that Constitution.
What Does The Kansas Constitution Say About Abortion
Right to Abortion in Kansas is now protected by the Kansas Supreme Courts 2019 decision finding the states constitution includes the right to abortion. The drive to amend is rooted in the Kansas Supreme Courts 2019 ruling, which struck down certain restrictions on abortions and found that the right to abortion is guaranteed under the state constitution.
While Kansas has passed numerous restrictions on abortion, its highest court in 2019 found that the pregnant persons right to individual autonomy is protected by the State Constitution. In Kansas, voters have reiterated abortion is protected under the Constitution, leaving intact the state Supreme Courts ruling from 2019.
In Kansas, the state Supreme Court in 2019 held that Kansas Constitution guarantees abortion rights - the ruling prevented state lawmakers from passing laws that could prohibit or severely restrict access to the procedure.
Voting yes would mean supporting an amendment to amend the states constitution to no longer guarantee access to abortions, reversing a 2019 state supreme court decision. Passing a constitutional amendment would invalidate the 2019 ruling
and grant unlimited power to the legislature to enact restrictions on reproductive rights - or an outright abortion ban, without exception. With its ruling, the state Supreme Court made it impossible for anti-abortion Kansans to craft new legislation that ends abortion rights without first changing the states constitution.
Kansas Value Them Both Amendment
Passage of a constitutional amendment would overturn the 2019 decision and grant unlimited legislative power to pass restrictions on reproductive rights - or an outright prohibition of abortion, no exceptions.
A vote for the Values They All amendment would reaffirm that Kansas does not have a constitutional right to abortion, or require state funding for abortion, and it would leave the power to enact laws to regulate abortion in the hands of Kansas residents, via Kansas voters who elect the states legislature.
A yes vote for this amendment would affirm that there is no constitutional right to abortion in Kansas, and allow a Republican-controlled state legislature to enact new laws to further restrict, and even prohibit, abortion access.
The ballot measure also would codify the state legislatures authority to enact laws that regulate abortion, effectively nullifying the 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision recognizing the right of a woman to make decisions about her own body, including whether or not to continue a pregnancy, as provided by the states Constitution.
Abortion is legal in rural Kansas, but a ballot measure Tuesday, Values Both amendment, sought to overturn a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision ruling that included abortion rights as part of a state constitutional right.
The 2019 court ruling, which spurred the passage of Amendment 2, has already led to the invalidation of two Kansas laws, said Northcott; one prohibiting abortions performed with fetal dismemberment, and another mandating clinic-specific licensing standards.
Brittany Jones, policy and engagement director for Family Voices of Kansas, spoke with ABC News saying that the amendments value them Both amendments to the state Constitution would overturn the courts decision protecting abortion as a right, and would enable lawmakers to regulate abortion more aggressively.
Conclusion
Abortion is one of the most controversial issues in America today. The legislature in Kansas has passed a bill that will require women to have a specific amount of information before they can have an abortion. This blog post is here to list the new information that will be required by women who have an abortion.