Kansas Results on Abortion Should Hearten and Embolden Democrats for Mid-Terms
59% Opposition to GOP Anti-Abortion Amendment and High Voter Turnouts Illustrates Public's Willingness to Support Democrat's Popular Issues
The election results this past Tuesday from Deep Red Kansas SHOULD have the GOP leadership nervous and SHOULD embolden the Democrats when it comes to standing behind their agenda to support a woman’s personal freedom when it comes to reproductive rights. But based on the short term reactions, it appears the mean-spirited moralists in the GOP and the unassertive moderates in the Democratic party will prevail and a woman’s right to choose might not be one of the major issues on the ballot in November.
The election in Kansas on Tuesday were stunning in several respects.
First and foremost, the voters illustrated how far out of step the GOP is when it comes to abortion rights. With a 59-41 vote to “reject a proposed amendment that would have removed the right to abortion from the state's constitution and empowered the Republican legislature to advance a total ban”, the Kansas voters rebuffed the moralists in the GOP.
Second, it underscored the potential for abortion to be an issue that engages voters. As Common Dreams writer Jake Johnson reported,
Turnout was far higher Tuesday than in other primary contests in recent years, defying Republican efforts to take advantage of typically lower voter participation in primaries. According to the Associated Press, turnout approached "what's typical for a fall election for governor."
Finally, it illustrated that abortion rights is a bright-line issue that SHOULD favor the Democrats. From the Common Dreams article:
Mini Timmaraju, the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said in a statement late Tuesday that "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.'"
"Reproductive freedom is a winning issue, now and in November," Timmaraju added. "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."
…Nancy Northup, the president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said Tuesday's vote is "an enormous victory for people in Kansas."
"Like the strong majority of people across the U.S., Kansans want to make their own decisions about abortion," said Northup. "Later this year, California, Michigan, Nevada, and Vermont will vote on measures to protect abortion access, and Kentucky will vote on an anti-abortion measure. This is an important opportunity for voters in those states to directly defend their right to make personal decisions about their own lives, bodies, and futures."
What Ms. Northrop DIDN’T emphasize was that abortion rights will be on every ballot in November because every member of the House of Representatives is on the ballot and several State legislatures and Governors—- including my home state of New Hampshire.
Ms. Northrop also failed to underscore that the mean-spirited moralists are dominating the GOP and insisting on it being a defining issue for their party. In a separate article earlier this week, Common Dreams writer Jake Johnson reported on the GOP’s blocking of legislation that would protect doctors who provide reproductive services to patients. Senator Patty Murray from Washington introduced a bill that would:
Protect healthcare providers in states where abortion is legal from being subject to laws that try to prevent them from providing reproductive health care services or make them liable for providing those services to patients from any other state. These protections could be enforced by a federal lawsuit from the Department of Justice, a patient, or a provider, ensuring a future Department of Justice could not turn a blind eye to state laws that violate these protections;
Prohibit any federal funds from being used to pursue legal cases against individuals who access legal reproductive healthcare services or against healthcare providers in states where abortion is legal;
Create a new grant program at the Department of Justice to fund legal assistance or legal education for reproductive healthcare service providers;
Create a new grant program at the Department of Health and Human Services to support reproductive health care service providers in obtaining physical, cyber, or data privacy security upgrades necessary to protect their practice and patients; and
Protect reproductive health care providers from being denied professional liability insurance coverage because of legal services offered to patients.
The GOP blocked the bill from consideration. Ms. Murray
…vowed that Democrats will continue to "fight for the right to an abortion" and for "doctors who are doing their jobs and doing what is best for their patients."
"We're going to make sure everyone knows, and no one forgets, exactly who's standing in the way, exactly where Republicans stand in this fight," added Murray, who last month attempted to swiftly pass legislation protecting the right of pregnant people to travel across state lines for abortion care.
The GOP blocked that bill as well.
The question remains whether Democrats will capitalize on the antipathy voters feel toward the mean-spirited and draconian measures the moralists in the GOP want to take in terms of reproductive rights. The GOP has used state referenda to whip up enthusiasm among their base, and will likely do so this time around by introducing “culture war” ballots on hot-button “woke” issues like trans-rights, anti-racism curricula in schools, and alleged voting irregularities. GOP candidates and the party itself have used disinformation to slander opponents and misrepresent ballot initiatives.
The Democrats need to find a way to tell voters that they are being duped without reinforcing the meme that they are “elitists” and need to make certain voters know that they are giving away their personal freedoms if they support anti-democratic candidates and referenda. The Democrats need to make voters aware of the popular issues THEY support that the GOP opposes: issues like gun control, full funding for social security, freedom to read whatever books they choose, clean air and water, and consumer rights. If they DO, the widely popular positions they take might enable them to stay in power for the next two years following November. If they don’t, the restoration of democracy should the GOP gain control of the House and/or Senate will be even more challenging.