Kansas first state to vote on abortion since Roe’s demise

[Scott]

 

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Kansas is holding the nation's first test of voter feelings about the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, with people statewide deciding Tuesday whether to allow their conservative Legislature to further restrict or ban abortion.

The referendum on the proposed anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution is being closely watched as a barometer of liberal and moderate voters' anger over the June ruling overturning the nationwide right to abortion. But the outcome might not reflect broader sentiments in the country as a whole, given how conservative Kansas is and how twice as many Republicans as Democrats have voted in its August primaries over the past decade.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/kansas-state-vote-abortion-roes-demise-87783200

[Bkk Brian]

This is going to be an interesting vote in Kansas

 

In another state, Georgia the state's tax agency said on Monday that any woman whose fetus has a detectable heartbeat as of July 20, the date of the court ruling, can take a personal tax exemption in the amount of $3,000 for each fetus, if she is carrying more than one.

 

Apologies if off topic feel free to remove if so

[KhunLA]

States self rule, as it should be in a Republic ... ????

 

The 'Constitution' rocks ... ????

[placeholder]

And it turns out Kansas have voted to reject the abortion ban. Voters turned out in huge numbers for a vote of this kind. Kansas is a very conservative state. Clearly, the issue mobilized voters to turn out. It does raise some hope (at least in some of us) that the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade will also mobilize voters to vote against candidates who supported that decision. 

[placeholder]

2 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

States self rule, as it should be in a Republic ... ????

 

The 'Constitution' rocks ... ????

Not really. Congress could vote to outlaw abortion nationwide. Or to protect the right to abortion nationwide.

[Bkk Brian]

6 minutes ago, placeholder said:

And it turns out Kansas have voted to reject the abortion ban. Voters turned out in huge numbers for a vote of this kind. Kansas is a very conservative state. Clearly, the issue mobilized voters to turn out. It does raise some hope (at least in some of us) that the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade will also mobilize voters to vote against candidates who supported that decision. 

????????

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Voters in Kansas rejected a proposed state constitutional amendment Tuesday that would have said there was no right to an abortion in the state, according to The Associated Press.

https://www.npr.org/sections/2022-live-primary-election-race-results/2022/08/02/1115317596/kansas-voters-abortion-legal-reject-constitutional-amendment

[Scott]

Here's an expansion on BkkBrian's above link:

Voters in Kansas decide to keep abortion legal in the state, rejecting an amendment

 

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Voters in Kansas rejected a proposed state constitutional amendment Tuesday that would have said there was no right to an abortion in the state, according to The Associated Press.

 

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.

 

The vote, for now, preserves access to abortion in Kansas and serves as a rebuke to the regional trend of states significantly restricting access.

https://www.npr.org/sections/2022-live-primary-election-race-results/2022/08/02/1115317596/kansas-voters-abortion-legal-reject-constitutional-amendment

 

[Berkshire]

5 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

????????

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Voters in Kansas rejected a proposed state constitutional amendment Tuesday that would have said there was no right to an abortion in the state, according to The Associated Press.

https://www.npr.org/sections/2022-live-primary-election-race-results/2022/08/02/1115317596/kansas-voters-abortion-legal-reject-constitutional-amendment

Interesting...although the article didn't say what the final vote tally was.  

 

I do see this as having some impact during the midterms.  If it's true that a majority of Americans believe that women have a right to a legal and safe abortion, then it would seem that come general election time, it could impact some races.  Those far right candidates who are for a complete ban on abortion may have to soften their stance.  Let's see how their constituents respond to that. 

[placeholder]

7 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

Interesting...although the article didn't say what the final vote tally was.  

 

I do see this as having some impact during the midterms.  If it's true that a majority of Americans believe that women have a right to a legal and safe abortion, then it would seem that come general election time, it could impact some races.  Those far right candidates who are for a complete ban on abortion may have to soften their stance.  Let's see how their constituents respond to that. 

Not all the votes have been tallied yet.

[KhunLA]

10 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

Those far right candidates who are for a complete ban on abortion may have to soften their stance.  Let's see how their constituents respond to that. 

I think any candidate running on a total ban platform would be political suicide.

 

What voters say & do are 2 different things.  With all those 63 million abortions, I'd think a few were performed on the religious folks that aren't suppose to use contraceptive, or kill others.

 

Hypocrisy rules ... Just a thought

Edited August 3, 2022 by KhunLA

[SunnyinBangrak]

1 hour ago, placeholder said:

And it turns out Kansas have voted to reject the abortion ban. Voters turned out in huge numbers for a vote of this kind. Kansas is a very conservative state. Clearly, the issue mobilized voters to turn out. It does raise some hope (at least in some of us) that the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade will also mobilize voters to vote against candidates who supported that decision. 

So after all this, would it be fair to say the extreme emotional reaction to the Supreme court's ruling was completely OTT? The mob trying to hunt down judge Kavanaugh - perhaps going a tad too far? As we now see in practise, states can decide for themselves, exactly as we tried to say a few weeks ago when all shades of pandemonium were breaking loose.

[Eric Loh]

NBC project 'NO' on abortion vote with more than 60% votes counted. Wow an affirmative and resounding rejection of the radical far right highest priority target in a red state. So the mid-term may delight many on the left.  

[Hanaguma]

16 minutes ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

So after all this, would it be fair to say the extreme emotional reaction to the Supreme court's ruling was completely OTT? The mob trying to hunt down judge Kavanaugh - perhaps going a tad too far? As we now see in practise, states can decide for themselves, exactly as we tried to say a few weeks ago when all shades of pandemonium were breaking loose.

Of course it was.  Total hysteria and LARPing. Especially since the ruling was leaked months ago, so there is no way this was a surprise.

 

As for the Kansas referendum, it is no surprise. Americans in general fall between the two extremes of abortion being illegal and abortion being allowed up to the day of birth. From what most polls say, the majority position is somewhere around the end of the first trimester (14 weeks or so). After that, barring unique circumstances, there is no reason to allow abortions to occur.

[placeholder]

34 minutes ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

So after all this, would it be fair to say the extreme emotional reaction to the Supreme court's ruling was completely OTT? The mob trying to hunt down judge Kavanaugh - perhaps going a tad too far? As we now see in practise, states can decide for themselves, exactly as we tried to say a few weeks ago when all shades of pandemonium were breaking loose.

Tell that to poor women in those states where abortions are banned or severely restricted

 https://www.texastribune.org/2021/09/02/texas-abortion-out-of-state-people-of-color/

 

And of course in the state of Texas, and other states that have followed its example, private citizens are now empowered to sue not only abortion providers but those who help women in any way to get an abortion. Like driving them to a clinic. Or calling a cab for them. Or even telling them how to contact a clinic. And if these loons win their case, Texas guarantees them a minimum $10,000 payday.  Which goes a long way towards explaining why health care providers there are increasingly reluctant to help women having a troubled miscarriage via a  D&C which is exactly the same procedure used for an abortion. Lots of unqualified fanatics available to institute those lawsuits.

And not only that, so far 5 of the 6 extreme right wing justices on the Supreme Court have allowed that law to stand.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/supreme-court-votes-5-4-to-leave-texas-abortion-law-in-place

[placeholder]

Anyway, given the big turnout in Kansas, 

29 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

As for the Kansas referendum, it is no surprise. Americans in general fall between the two extremes of abortion being illegal and abortion being allowed up to the day of birth. From what most polls say, the majority position is somewhere around the end of the first trimester (14 weeks or so). After that, barring unique circumstances, there is no reason to allow abortions to occur.

Did you actually read what the vote was about? A "Yes" vote would have allowed the legislature to do as it pleased on the question of abortion. It wasn't about imposing a ban or severe restrictions.

 

And the only reason that the status quo exists is that Kansas Supreme Court justices ruled that the the Kansas Constitution protects the right to abortion up to 22 weeks because it specifically references the Declaration of Independence.

[Credo]

Overturning Roe was a big mistake and it causing a lot of harm.  Hopefully, Kansas will signal a positive change, but it should not be left to the states.   

 

Missouri, for example has a pending bill to punish women who go to another state for an abortion.  In some states a rapist has the right to sue for custody of a child.   

The medical rights of a woman need to have protection across the board and not vary from state-to-state or allow for prosecution in one state what happens in another state.   

 

[ozimoron]

On 8/3/2022 at 11:18 AM, SunnyinBangrak said:

So after all this, would it be fair to say the extreme emotional reaction to the Supreme court's ruling was completely OTT? The mob trying to hunt down judge Kavanaugh - perhaps going a tad too far? As we now see in practise, states can decide for themselves, exactly as we tried to say a few weeks ago when all shades of pandemonium were breaking loose.

 

 

Edited August 6, 2022 by ozimoron

[placeholder]

On 8/3/2022 at 7:48 PM, Credo said:

Overturning Roe was a big mistake and it causing a lot of harm.  Hopefully, Kansas will signal a positive change, but it should not be left to the states.   

 

Missouri, for example has a pending bill to punish women who go to another state for an abortion.  In some states a rapist has the right to sue for custody of a child.   

The medical rights of a woman need to have protection across the board and not vary from state-to-state or allow for prosecution in one state what happens in another state.   

 

Most likely that proviso about Missouri criminializing out-of-state abortions for its citizens will likely be overturned by the Supreme Court. I believe Kavanagh actually made a specific reference to the unconstitutionality of such a statute.