The text of the proposed Kansas Amendment — dubbed “Value them Both” — was deeply deceptive. Parsing the bullshit:
1. What it would have done:
—Overruled the Kansas Supreme Court’s determination in 2019 that the state Constitution independently guarantees a right to abortion, regardless of Roe v. Wade.
2. What it would have allowed:
—The legislature to pass a total abortion ban from the moment of conception, no exceptions.
3. What it wouldn’t have done:
—In spite of its misleading text, it would not have *actually* provided for rape, incest, and life-of-the-mother exceptions. It merely states that the legislature *may* pass such exceptions. Any guesses as to what a Republican-dominated legislature would do with that? (Matter of fact, you don’t have to guess — just look at Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, etc.)
Kansans rejected this BS amendment in a landslide, rightly so.
This was a critical victory not only for Kansans, but for women in many neighboring states in the Great Plains region who had their rights stripped away overnight. For now, Kansas remains a safe haven for women in need of abortion or other kinds of reproductive health care that are being curtailed by Republican bans.
Anti-abortion right-wing insanity met its match last night in the conservative, yet pragmatic, voters of Kansas.
