On Tuesday, August 2nd, voters across Kansas will vote on language to alter the state constitution, revoking a woman’s right to have an abortion. Kansas is the first state to vote on abortion rights since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in June. Voting in favor of amending the state constitution would alter the rights that are currently in place and revoke the right to an abortion. Tuesday’s vote will set a dangerous precedent for other states who are ready to enact near total abortion bans.
NOW stands with the women of Kansas and their right to choose. Activists in Kansas have been fighting to maintain the constitutional right to make decisions about their bodies, but it’s only the beginning. Birthing people of Kansas deserve better than that–they deserve the right to bodily autonomy.
The truth is that the political landscape of Kansas tells us that this is a fight we can win. We have the numbers to change this dangerous effort to overturn women’s rights. NOW urges its members in Kansas to get out and vote ‘No’ in opposition to the language alterations. Outside of Kansas, NOW also calls on its members to look at their state legislation to see what they are doing and saying about reproductive rights. We must get out and vote for women’s lives. We cannot achieve complete equality without this step.
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The National Organization for Women (NOW) is the nation’s leading membership-based advocacy group dedicated to defending women’s rights, advancing equality and combating injustice in all aspects of social, political and economic life. Through educating, mobilizing, and convening a vast network of grassroots activists across the country, NOW advocates for national, state and local policies that promote an anti-racist and intersectional feminist agenda. Since its founding in 1966, NOW has been on the frontlines of nearly every major advancement for women’s rights and continues to champion progressive values today. More about NOW’s efforts and resources is available at NOW.org.