Kansas’ pro-abortion vote gives Joe Biden hope ahead of the November election

United States President Joe Biden returns this Wednesday in favor of access to abortion, following the victory of the defenders of this right in the very conservative state of Kansas, which strengthened the president’s strategy for the mid-term legislative elections. , in November.

Kansas residents were the first Americans called to rule on a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy since the Supreme Court overturned on June 24.

The vote was seen as a test before the November election: the Democrats and their leader Biden, weakened With inflation rampant and a slowing economy, they hope to save some seats in Congress by mobilizing their constituents in defense of the right to abortion.

And what happened in Kansas gave them reason to hope.

historical turning point

With a high turnoutn, Tuesday nearly 60% of voters rejected an anti-abortion measure. However, this rural state is very conservative: in the past 80 years it has only voted once for a Democratic presidential candidate and analysts expected a tight result.

But for the defenders of abortion rights, who have celebrated this “historic tidal wave”, the result is not surprising.

“The people of Kansas have proven what has been said for a long time: defending access to abortion means winning politically,” added Jenny Lawson of the powerful family planning organization Planned Parenthood.

They sent “a clear message to politicians fighting abortion across the country: time is running out,” he added, as abortion-hostile candidates won Republican primaries in several states.

“The vote showed what we already knew: the majority of Americans believe women should have access to abortion,” Biden also said in a statement.

The president’s bet

According to the latest polls, about 60% of the population supports the right to abortion and, although there are significant partisan divisions, nearly 40% of Republican voters are in favor.

Based on these figures, the White House tenant, who risks losing control of Congress in November, has been trying to mobilize his constituents since the June 24 decision.

After the referendum in Kansas, the president again urged his fellow citizens to “continue to raise their voices to protect women’s rights.”

At the same time, the Democrat is trying minimize the effects of the annulment of the High Court, which has already allowed a dozen states to ban abortion on their territory.

After an initial decree to ensure access to the morning-after pill or protect mobile clinics, Biden planned to sign a second directive in front of cameras and surrounded by cabinet members.

In particular, this text will order your government to examine ways of expanding medical coverage for women who are forced to travel to have abortions. It also plans to promote research on maternal health and look for ways to prevent caregiver refusal of care.

On Tuesday, the Attorney General filed a lawsuit challenging an Idaho law, fearing it would force doctors to refuse to perform abortions even in the event of a medical emergency.

But all these initiatives are limited in scope and, in the long run, abortion will be nearly impossible in half of the country’s 50 states, especially in the more religious South and Center, where the Republicans have solid majorities.

Instead, progressive states seek to protect abortion rights, and voters in California, Michigan, Nevada, and Vermont will also vote on protective measures this year.

Source: AFP

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