Kansans to vote on removing abortion protections from state constitution

Kansas voters will be the first in the country since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade to cast votes on abortion rights in their state.

The vote will be on a referendum on the ticket for the state's Aug. 2 primaries. 

The referendum is titled "Value Them Both" and asks voters whether to keep or overturn an amendment in the state constitution that provides a right to abortion.

"To the extent permitted by the constitution of the United States, the people, through their elected state representatives and state senators, may pass laws regarding abortion," a section of the amendment reads. 

If passed, the amendment would give the state’s Republican-controlled legislature the authority it needs to restrict abortion access, or ban the procedure altogether.  

The vote has been planned since last year but quickly become a focal point of state politics after the Supreme Court last month overturned Roe v. Wade, which for decades provided a constitutional right to abortion. 

Kansas is a majority Republican state, but polling indicates voters are narrowly divided on the issue of abortion. 

Kansas’ state Supreme Court in 2019 ruled that the state's constitution protected a right to abortion, requiring a constitutional amendment to be passed before any severe restrictions became possible.