Kansas secured a massive victory for abortion rights in the U.S on Tuesday night when they voted to protect abortion in the state constitution.
The incident is seen as a huge setback to the anti-abortion movement and a major victory for abortion rights advocates across America.
Kansas, a conservative and reliable Republican state- is the first US state to put abortion rights to a vote since the US supreme court ruled to overturn constitutional protections for abortion in late June.
It was a stressful and bitterly fought campaign that witnessed churches vandalized and yard signs stolen, in a state where the abortion doctor George Tiller was murdered by anti-abortion activists in 2009.
Anti-abortion activists argued that the Kansas ballot question offered an opportunity to put the issue in the hands of the voters through elected state lawmakers. Supporters of abortion rights said that approval of the ballot measure would almost lead to the elimination or curtailment of existing rights in a state that has more lenient laws on its books against many of its neighbors.
On the eve of the vote, voters reportedly received misleading text messages telling them a “yes” vote would guard the right to an abortion. However, it is yet not known who the sender was.
Abortion rights advocates deny the move.