On the tree-lined streets of affluent Kansas town Leawood, many election signs are planted in the neatly trimmed lawns: this Midwestern state is gearing up to hold the first major abortion ballot since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled canceled the federal right to abortion.
The people of Kansas go to the polls on Tuesday August 2 to decide whether the Constitution of this traditionally conservative state should be amended to remove the guarantee of the right to abortion.
Those in favor of the change - the "
yes
" supporters - claim that it would allow lawmakers to regulate abortion without interference from the judiciary.
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Banning abortion is not the official goal of the “
Value Them Both
” campaign.
But on the other side, activists see the constitutional amendment as a thinly veiled attempt to pave the way for a clear cut ban by the Republican-dominated local legislature, which would follow in the footsteps of at least eight other US states since the US Supreme Court's decision in June.
“
Decisions about our body
”
Proponents of “
no
” watch anxiously as neighboring states of Missouri and Oklahoma have imposed near-total bans (Missouri does not allow exceptions for rape or incest).
In Kansas itself, a local conservative elected official introduced a bill this year that would ban abortion without exceptions for rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother.
Currently, abortion is legal in Kansas up to 22 weeks of pregnancy.
Parental authorization is required for minors.
“
Ultimately, the amendment takes away that right to personal autonomy enjoyed by all Kansas residents
,” Ashley All, spokesperson for the “
No
” campaign of “
Kansans for Constitutional Freedom
” (KCF).
"
And that we are able to make decisions about our bodies, our families, our future without government interference is a right
."
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The vote, scheduled to coincide with a Kansas primaries, will be the first opportunity for American voters to express their views on abortion since the Supreme Court overturned its landmark 1973 Roe v.
Wade.
Other states, including California and Kentucky, are due to vote on the issue in November, coinciding with midterm congressional elections in which Republicans and Democrats hope to rally their supporters around abortion.
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