Americans Vote for Abortion Rights in Kansas
2022-08-04
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1In a major victory for abortion rights, voters in the U.S. state of Kansas on Tuesday rejected a ballot proposal that could have led to restrictions or a ban on abortion.
2It was the first time Americans could vote on the issue since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
3The decision last June ended the constitutional right to abortion on the federal level and left the decision to the states.
4Abortion is a medical operation that ends a pregnancy.
5In Kansas, the state's highest court called abortion a "fundamental" right under state law in 2019.
6And the law permitted abortions up to 22 weeks of pregnancy.
7So Republican lawmakers proposed a ballot measure to change the state's constitution.
8If approved, the measure would state that Kansas law did not guarantee the right to an abortion.
9Tuesday's vote in Kansas drew higher-than-expected turnout.
10With most of the ballots counted, 59 percent of voters favored preserving abortion rights compared to nearly 41 percent who supported removing abortion protections from the state constitution.
11American President Joe Biden said in statement: "This vote makes clear what we know: The majority of Americans believe that women should have access to abortion and the right to make their own health care decisions."
12Biden also called on Congress to pass legislation to bring back the right to abortion and asked Americans "to use their voices to protect the right to women's health care, including abortion."
13Mallory Carroll is a spokesperson for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a group that supports an abortion ban. She called the result "a huge disappointment."
14The group had spent over $1 million and talked with people at 250,000 homes throughout Kansas.
15Neal Allen is a political science professor at Wichita State University in Kansas.
16He called Tuesday's vote a "wake-up call for abortion opponents."
17Allen told Reuters that voters came out on Tuesday because they believed lawmakers would push for a total ban on abortion.
18Stephanie Kostreva is a healthcare worker in the Kansas City area.
19She told the Associated Press that she voted for the ballot measure but is not fully against abortion.
20She said there are times when an abortion is necessary.
21"I know there are medical emergencies, and when the mother's life is in danger there is no reason for two people to die."
22Other states may have similar proposals on the ballot this autumn.
23Voters will get questions about abortion in Vermont, Kentucky, California and possibly Michigan.
24The Guttmacher Institute is an organization that supports abortion rights.
25It says 26 American states are likely to ban abortion since Roe has been overturned.
26I'm Dan Friedell.
1In a major victory for abortion rights, voters in the U.S. state of Kansas on Tuesday rejected a ballot proposal that could have led to restrictions or a ban on abortion. 2It was the first time Americans could vote on the issue since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The decision last June ended the constitutional right to abortion on the federal level and left the decision to the states. Abortion is a medical operation that ends a pregnancy. 3In Kansas, the state's highest court called abortion a "fundamental" right under state law in 2019. And the law permitted abortions up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. So Republican lawmakers proposed a ballot measure to change the state's constitution. If approved, the measure would state that Kansas law did not guarantee the right to an abortion. 4Tuesday's vote in Kansas drew higher-than-expected turnout. With most of the ballots counted, 59 percent of voters favored preserving abortion rights compared to nearly 41 percent who supported removing abortion protections from the state constitution. 5American President Joe Biden said in statement: "This vote makes clear what we know: The majority of Americans believe that women should have access to abortion and the right to make their own health care decisions." 6Biden also called on Congress to pass legislation to bring back the right to abortion and asked Americans "to use their voices to protect the right to women's health care, including abortion." 7Mallory Carroll is a spokesperson for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a group that supports an abortion ban. She called the result "a huge disappointment." The group had spent over $1 million and talked with people at 250,000 homes throughout Kansas. 8Neal Allen is a political science professor at Wichita State University in Kansas. He called Tuesday's vote a "wake-up call for abortion opponents." Allen told Reuters that voters came out on Tuesday because they believed lawmakers would push for a total ban on abortion. 9Stephanie Kostreva is a healthcare worker in the Kansas City area. She told the Associated Press that she voted for the ballot measure but is not fully against abortion. She said there are times when an abortion is necessary. 10"I know there are medical emergencies, and when the mother's life is in danger there is no reason for two people to die." 11Other states may have similar proposals on the ballot this autumn. Voters will get questions about abortion in Vermont, Kentucky, California and possibly Michigan. 12The Guttmacher Institute is an organization that supports abortion rights. It says 26 American states are likely to ban abortion since Roe has been overturned. 13I'm Dan Friedell. 14Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on reports by Reuters and the Associated Press. 15_______________________________________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17fundamental - adj. relating to the most important part of something, a basic right 18turnout - adj. used to describe the number of people who came to an event, such as a vote 19access - n. a way of getting to something or something being available 20disappointment - n. the feeling of being upset about an unexpected result, or being let down 21wake-up call - a phrase meaning to take something seriously 22________________________________________________________________________ 23What do you think of the vote in Kansas? We want to hear from you. 24We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 25Write your comment in the box. 26Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. 27Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with "D" on it. It is free. 28Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.