Kansas Votes to Protect Abortion Rights in State Constitution

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Kansas Votes to Protect Abortion Rights in State Constitution
Abortion now expected to remain legal and accessible in the state
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Updated Aug. 3, 2022 1:39 am ET

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OLATHE, Kan.—Kansas voters soundly rejected a proposed state constitutional amendment that would have ended protections for abortion, in the first statewide referendum on the issue since the Supreme Court eliminated abortion rights at the federal level.

The closely watched vote, in a conservative-leaning state where Republicans outnumber Democrats, means abortion is likely to remain legal and accessible in Kansas. The result, projected by the Associated Press, also provides an early political victory to abortion-rights supporters weeks after their resounding defeat at the Supreme Court.
With 90% of the votes counted, about 60% of Kansas voters rejected the amendment, according to the AP.

The referendum was planned months before the Supreme Court’s June 24 ruling that the U.S. Constitution doesn’t protect the right to an abortion. The decision, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, upheld abortion restrictions in Mississippi and overruled the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade that recognized abortion as a constitutional right.

The dynamic of the Kansas race changed after the ruling, with the state seeing a wave of national attention and political fundraising. The Kansas primary, normally a sleepy affair, became the focus of intense campaigning, with supporters and opponents of the amendment each spending millions and making emotional appeals to voters through television ads, billboards and door-knocking efforts.