The right to an abortion was debated in a serious way in 2019, when the Kansas Supreme Court ruled the state constitution's Bill of Rights "affords protection of the right of personal autonomy, which includes the ability to control one's own body". Though churches cannot endorse political candidates, they can endorse political campaigns. (Photo from BBC) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] On 2 August, Kansans will vote on whether to alter the language of the state constitution, the first state to vote on such an amendment since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, abolishing the constitutional right for a woman to have an abortion. If it passes, members of the Republican-controlled state legislature can write laws that make it much harder, if not impossible, for a woman in Kansas to get an abortion, BBC reported.
The ballot is written so that a "yes" vote affirms that "there is no Kansas constitutional right to abortion". Voting against the amendment would keep the constitution as-is, meaning that women in the state do have a right to an abortion. At the Catholic church, located in Overland Park, a police officer stood guard. A few days earlier, someone had painted "My Body My Choice" over a statue of the Virgin Mary, and church-goers were skittish. "Thanks for your protection," one of them told the officer.
While the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade made it possible for individual states to restrict access to abortion, it did not automatically overturn the state laws. Kansas, like several states in the US, has enshrined the right to abortion in its state constitution.