Reactions to the August 2, 2022 Kansas Vote Defeating Proposed Constitutional Amendment on Abortion
In the Aug. 2, 2022
primary election, Kansas voters rejected by a 59% to
41% margin (>)
the "Value Them Both" constitutional amendment [PDF], which would
have said that "the constitution of the state of
Kansas does not require government funding of
abortion and does not create or secure a right to
abortion."
This was the first
ballot measure on abortion since the U.S. Supreme
Court's June 24 ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.
________
NO ON THE AMENDMENT
Democracy Partners
August 2, 2022
The victory in the referendum to maintain Freedom of Reproductive Choice in Kansas last night is massively significant for the fall Mid Term Election in three very important ways:
1). It demonstrated that the poll results showing that the abortion rights issue is highly motivating to voter turn out is absolutely correct. The massive victory was fueled by record turn out.
2). It demonstrated that this is a particularly powerful issue in suburban counties like Johnson County — the suburbs of Kansas City. There are many similar areas in states like Georgia, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Wisconsin — that will be decisive in the races to control the Senate.
3). As a result many, MAGA/Trump Republicans find themselves in a difficult position. If they whip up their own base with the abortion issue, they alienate these key voters and help drive up turn out among base as well. If they fail to use this issue to whip up their base, they will experience lower voter turn out. For Democrats the abortion issue…. and every other major progressive priority…. are all very popular among swing voters and simultaneously motivational among base voters.
Yes We Really Can in 2022.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund
August 2, 2022
KANSAS VOTERS PROTECT ABORTION ACCESS BY REJECTING CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
Amendment would have eliminated
abortion rights in state constitution
OVERLAND PARK, KS — Tonight, in a definitive statement of support for reproductive freedom in the state, Kansas voters rejected a ballot measure that would have eliminated any right to abortion in the state’s constitution and opened the door to dangerous abortion bans. The vote, which comes just over a month after the U.S. Supreme Court revoked federal abortion rights, demonstrates once again that voters across the country do not want politicians interfering in their health care decisions.
The victory is a result of a long campaign to motivate voters to protect bodily autonomy at the ballot box. Kansans for Constitutional Freedom — a broad coalition of reproductive rights and justice organizations, civil liberties groups, faith leaders, and youth — reached hundreds of thousands of voters over hours of canvassing, phone banking, and community engagement. Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes (PPGP Votes) and Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPACT) were key stakeholders in the coalition, contributing nearly $2 million — including $1.15 mil from PPACT — throughout the course of the campaign and mobilizing volunteers across the country to get involved with Kansans for Constitutional Freedom and engage with Kansas voters.
Voters were galvanized not only by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, but by the devastation seen in neighboring states where access was already limited or eliminated entirely. In neighboring Oklahoma, abortion has been banned since May — forcing thousands of patients to leave their home state for care. Kansas is one of the only states in the region that safeguards access to legal abortion and following today’s vote will remain a critical access point.
Statement from Emily Wales, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes:
“Kansas values have always exemplified freedom, and tonight, Kansas continued that legacy. Anti-abortion politicians put this amendment on the primary ballot with the goal of low voter turnout, but they discounted Kansans, who said loud and clear they believe and trust patients to make their own medical decisions — especially during a dark moment in history when people across the Midwest and South are not afforded that same freedom.
“This historic victory was the result of a groundswell of grassroots support and a broad coalition of reasonable, thoughtful Kansans across the state who put health care over politics. We have seen the devastation caused by a loss of access to abortion in neighboring states and tonight, Kansans saw through the deception of anti-abortion interests to ensure people in their state retained their rights. Now, more than ever, our work continues. Planned Parenthood Great Plains has served Kansas for decades and tomorrow, we’ll wake up and do just that – but with the reassurance that people in Kansas will continue to make medical decisions that are best for their health, their lives, and their futures.”
Statement from Alexis McGill Johnson, president, Planned Parenthood Action Fund:
“Today is a victory for Kansans and for reproductive freedom. Because of a strong coalition effort to build understanding on shared values and rally voters across the state, Kansans rejected a dangerous amendment that would have let anti-abortion politicians eliminate access to essential health care. They protected their right to decide what is best for their own bodies, lives, and futures. And they made it resoundingly clear that they don’t want politicians involved in their medical decisions or abortion bans in their state.
As the first state to vote on abortion rights following the fall of Roe v. Wade, Kansas is a model for a path to restoring reproductive rights across the country through direct democracy. From Michigan to Nevada, we have the opportunity to protect abortion access at the ballot box in November. We know that Kansas will not be our last fight, or our last victory.”
###
Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes is an independent, nonpartisan 501(c)4 nonprofit organization that advocates for sexual and reproductive health and rights in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. We lobby state lawmakers, mobilize more than 120,000 grassroots supporters, and engage in issue education in order to protect and expand access to health care and comprehensive sex education in the communities we serve, and to promote Planned Parenthood’s mission.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational, advocacy, and limited electoral activity, including grassroots organizing, legislative advocacy, and voter education.
NARAL Pro-Choice America
August 2, 2022
NARAL Pro-Choice America Applauds Kansas Voter for Rejecting Anti-Choice Ballot Initiative
Kansans safeguard access to
abortion in the first public vote on reproductive
freedom since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v.
Wade
Washington, DC — Today, Kansans defeated a constitutional amendment on the 2022 primary ballot that would have paved the way for a total ban on abortion in Kansas. This was the first major public vote on reproductive freedom since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Today’s vote signals to Kansas and the rest of the country that Americans value reproductive freedom and will fight to protect it. NARAL members and organizers in Kansas—working closely with its coalition partners in state—knocked on over 1,200 doors, made over 30,000 phone calls, and sent over 5,000 texts to encourage this outcome.
NARAL Pro-Choice America President Mini Timmaraju released the following statement in response:
“At a time when reproductive freedom is under unprecedented threat across the country, Kansans said loud and clear at the ballot box: ‘We’ve had enough.’ By safeguarding abortion access, Kansas voters aligned with the 8 in 10 Americans who support the legal right to abortion. In the heartland of the United States, protecting abortion access is galvanizing voters like never before, and that mobilization is only just beginning. Reproductive freedom is a winning issue, now and in November. Anti-choice lawmakers take note: The voters have spoken, and they will turn out at the ballot box to oppose efforts to restrict reproductive freedom. Thank you to Kansans for Constitutional Freedom for their tireless efforts to defeat this ballot initiative. NARAL was proud to support them in this fight.”
In June, the anti-choice supermajority on the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the legal right to abortion in our country as we know it. Right now, roughly half of the states in the country are at risk of banning abortion. Of those, 14 states have bans in place, and many others are pushing to do the same.
NARAL Pro-Choice America was proud to work in coalition with Kansans for Constitutional Freedom to defeat this initiative, mobilizing voters in the state through door-knocking, phone banking, and more. With our fundamental rights on the line, NARAL and our nearly 35,000 members in Kansas are continuing to organize and mobilize across the country to elect champions up and down the ballot who share our values and will fight for them.
###
For over 50 years, NARAL Pro-Choice America has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for every body. NARAL is powered by its 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.
YES ON THE AMENDMENT
Value Them Both
Value Them Both Releases Statement on Election Results
Sadly, the mainstream media propelled the left’s false narrative, contributing to the confusion that misled Kansans about the amendment. While the outcome is not what we hoped, our movement and campaign have proven our resolve and commitment. We will not abandon women and babies.
The Value Them Both Coalition wants to thank our amazing, faithful grassroots supporters across the great state of Kansas. Your strength, goodwill, and tireless efforts should give everyone in the Sunflower State hope for the future. This outcome is a temporary setback, and our dedicated fight to value women and babies is far from over. As our state becomes an abortion destination, it will be even more important for Kansans to support our pregnancy resource centers, post-abortive ministries, and other organizations that provide supportive care to women facing unexpected pregnancies. We will be back.
National Right to Life
August 3, 2022
National Right to Life Responds to Kansas Referendum Results
WASHINGTON— The following is a statement from National Right to Life President Carol Tobias in response to the results of the Kansas referendum:Sadly, thousands and thousands of babies will die in Kansas.
Lies about ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages, and false claims that women who have abortions would be prosecuted, promulgated by the media and the abortion industry resulted in a tragic loss for women and their unborn babies.
Contrary to those lies, pro-life legislation allows the removal of ectopic pregnancies and other procedures to save the life of the mother, the treatment of miscarriages, and does not impose any penalties on women who have abortions. Over 70 pro-life organizations signed a statement opposing criminal penalties for women who have abortions.
Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.
SBA Pro-Life America
August 2, 2022
SBA Pro-Life America Reacts to Kansas Value Them Both Amendment Results
Tonight’s Loss Underscores
the Stakes for Pro-Life Americans in the 2022
Midterm Elections
Washington, D.C. – Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America issued the following statement on tonight’s results regarding Kansas’ Value Them Both constitutional amendment:
“Tonight’s loss is a huge disappointment for pro-life Kansans and Americans nationwide,” said Mallory Carroll, spokeswoman for SBA Pro-Life America. “The abortion lobby’s message to voters was rife with lies that ultimately drowned out the truth. Because of tonight’s results, Kansas could shortly become home to unrestricted abortion on demand – even late-term abortion without limits, paid for by taxpayers. The people and their elected legislators now have no recourse to use the tools of democracy to enact laws that reflect consensus.
“The stakes for the pro-life movement in the upcoming midterm elections could not be higher, and there will be many more factors in play. It is critical that pro-life candidates go on offense to expose the extremism of Democrats’ policy goals for nationalized abortion on demand paid for by taxpayers.
“The pro-life movement’s call to politics and policy did not end with the Dobbs decision, rather, because of that victory we must work exponentially harder to achieve and maintain protections for unborn children and their mothers. We thank the leadership of the Value Them Both coalition and our longtime Kansas allies for their efforts here and will continue to work alongside them to protect life.”
The Value Them Both amendment would have corrected an overreach by the Kansas Supreme Court that, in 2019, found an alleged right to abortion in the state constitution and struck down a law passed by the state legislature to limit painful dismemberment abortions.
SBA Pro-Life America invested $1.4 million into a Kansas voter education campaign which included digital ads, TV, radio, and voter contact mail as well as in-person visits to more than 250,000 Kansas homes.
This election cycle, SBA Pro-Life America and its affiliated entities plan to spend $78 million to protect life across America. This includes reaching eight million voters across battleground states – four million directly at their doors – to educate them on key issues and elect pro-life leaders across America and in D.C.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America is a network of more than one million pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.
###
