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The citizens of Kansas, in the Midwest of the United States, go to the polls this Tuesday, August 2, to decide whether the Constitution of that state will continue to protect the right to abortion or, on the contrary, further restrict it and even prohibit it completely. . After the judicial setback of the regulations last June, citizens can decide whether or not their legislatures continue with the historic ruling known as Roe vs. Wade, who since 1973 guaranteed that protection in the country.
It is the first state electoral test on the right to abortion in the United States, since the Supreme Court annulled the protection of the procedure at the federal level on June 24.
More states are keeping a close eye on what could happen in Kansas, a Midwestern state where abortion rights are currently protected in the state Constitution.
But after the ruling was overturned by the US Supreme Court, which struck down Roe v. Wade, the people of each state can decide whether to allow legislatures to advance the right to voluntary termination of pregnancy without excessive government restrictions, or to prohibit it completely.
In the consultation vote this Tuesday, August 2, voters in Kansas answer the question of whether they want to amend the Magna Carta of the region to affirm that there is no right to abortion.
The eventual passage of the amendment, which requires a simple majority, would reverse a specific 2019 state Supreme Court ruling that established such a right in Kansas.
As a result of the ruling three years ago, Kansas has more lenient abortion policies than some of its neighboring regions.
On this same day, citizens hold primary elections to elect governor. Republicans tend to turn out in greater numbers in state primaries than Democrats and independents, giving the question a higher chance of passing.
However, the fate of the amendment could depend on the participation of the 29% of registered voters who are not affiliated with a political party and young voters who, despite disagreeing with Democrats on other policies, prefer to protect the right to abortion, according to Wichita State University political science professor Neal Allen.
Passage of the amendment in Kansas would affect women from other states
Kansas is a deeply conservative state, where Republican Donald Trump won the most votes in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, when Biden became Executive.
The eventual approval of the constitutional amendment would affect not only Kansas but simultaneously restrict access to the procedure for more women outside the state, since some travel there from Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri, where abortion is prohibited in almost all cases.
Kansas voters are considering a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would end protections for abortion, the first referendum on the issue since the Supreme Court eliminated abortion rights at the federal level https://t.co/DPZNX8RTlF
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) August 2, 2022
With several states in the South and Midwest considering such bans, tens of millions of women could be forced to travel long distances if they wish to undergo a voluntary termination of pregnancy.
A poll conducted between July 17 and 18 by the research group Co/ficient showed that the vote could be close, with 47% of voters in favor of removing the constitutional right to abortion, 43% against and 10 % said they were undecided.
California and Kentucky will vote on the same measure next November, when they will also hold midterm elections, in which both Republicans and Democrats hope to mobilize supporters across the country around the abortion issue.
With Reuters and EFE
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