Twitter stunned after Kansas rejects pro-life amendment, keeps abortion as a ‘right’: ‘Best night for cruelty'

Kansas voters rejected an amendment to hand state legislators regulatory control over abortion on Tuesday.  (iStock)

Twitter users expressed shock at the news that Kansas voters resoundingly voted "No" Tuesday evening on a proposed amendment to allow the Kansas state legislature to regulate abortions in the state.

Pro-life groups in Kansas sought to enact the amendment to remove restrictions on lawmakers regulating abortion procedures which had been cemented ever since the state’s Constitution was interpreted to contain a natural right to abortion.

Fox News Digital reported, "In 2019, the state's supreme court struck down a ban on surgical abortions in a 6-1 decision, ruling that the state's constitution protected women's choice to engage in that activity as a ‘right.’"

Tuesday’s outcome quashed pro-life ambitions to curtail that so-called "right" Kansas mothers have to abort their children. It also marked the first time a state in America has voted on abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe V. Wade.

OUT-OF-STATE DONORS SPENDING MILLIONS TO PROTECT ABORTION IN KANSAS AHEAD OF STATEWIDE VOTE

Ben Kennedy, left, and Alyssa Winters, left, wait at a door to speak with prospective voters about a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution that would allow legislators to further restrict or ban abortion, Friday, July 8, 2022, in Olathe, Kan. They are among about 300 college students brought into Kansas by the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America group, which backs the measure. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

Pro-choice supporters online heralded the news of the amendment failing as a victory and a sign that conservatives can be beaten in future elections on the abortion issue. 

Among the elated users were media leftists and Democratic lawmakers.

MSNBC contributor Dean Obeidallah called the pro-life movement’s attempt to pass the amendment "religious fascism" and celebrated its defeat, tweeting, "On Tuesday, Kansas voters said NO to the GOP's Religious Fascism and YES to FREEDOM for women! #VoteBlueForFreedom."

Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather remarked on Democratic strategy shifting after the Kansas vote, tweeting, "Wow. Kansas. Might be time to reshuffle the conventional wisdom deck for the midterms."

Author and CNN contributor Paul Begala tweeted, "Tonight’s result in Kansas is one of the biggest political stories of the year. If the GOP can’t sell their anti-women b.s. in Kansas, they can’t sell it anywhere."

In another tweet, Begala called the results a "political earthquake" and a "huge victory" for pro-choice activists.

Commenting on a post from pro-choice feminist activist Ilyse Hogue, MSNBC host Joy Reid wrote, "Let us never forget that Republicans, backed by religious fanatics, tried to trick Kansas women into voting away their rights over their own bodies. And Kansans told them to go to hell."

Hogue’s post claimed, "When abortion rights are on the ballot, we win; they win. Kansas won with historic turnout and even with deceptive tactics. This country believes in reproductive freedom. We will not be stopped."

Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., celebrated the news, tweeting, "This is huge: abortion rights were on the ballot for the first time since Roe, and the people of Kansas voted to preserve access. I’m grateful down to my toes for everyone who helped stop this dangerous ballot measure in its tracks."

KANSAS REPUBLICANS PUSH BACK AGAINST VALUE THEM BOTH 'MISINFORMATION' AHEAD OF STATEWIDE VOTE ON ABORTION

Pro-life activists react to the landmark Supreme Court decision overruling Roe vs. Wade. (Fox News Digital)

On the other hand, conservatives and pro-lifers lamented the defeat of the amendment, with some acknowledging the need to rethink their anti-abortion strategy in state-level politics. At the very least, they vowed to continue the fight.

National Review senior writer Dan McLaughlin slammed pro-choice victory. "Best night for cruelty in Kansas since the Lecompton Constitution," he tweeted, referencing a proposed pro-slavery constitution for the state that was rejected in the 19th century. "The fight will go on," he added. 

Live Action founder Lila Rose tweeted, "Tonight’s results are a tragic setback for Kansas, but will do nothing to stop the pro-life movement’s momentum to pass unprecedented legal protections for preborn children across the nation. For justice and for life, we fight on."

Conservative radio host Erick Erickson pondered one potential factor as to why the vote swung so far to the left, tweeting, "How many Kansans who are generally pro-life but not plugged in went to the polls, read the ballot language, and thought, ‘Shit, I don't want to let the legislature pass abortion laws. I'm pro-life.’"

"The pro-life movement is going to have to carefully study what went wrong here and make some necessary adjustments, if need be," tweeted Newsweek opinion editor Josh Hammer.

And The Spectator editor-at-large Ben Domenech tweeted out a postmortem of the vote, advising pro-life activists on what they could have done better. He wrote, "Kansas pro-lifers could have taken a course favored by many red states, with a pro-life heartbeat amendment with the standard exceptions. Instead, their approach was open-ended and allowed the pro-abortion side to re-frame the issue."

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Kansas voters chose to keep abortion enshrined as a "right" in the state constitution on Tuesday. (Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)