Red state legislators self-destructed over abortion initiatives

There are 2 ways to get measures on the ballot to change state constitutions. One is for advocacy groups to get tens of thousands of signatures, meeting the minimum number to get their initiative on the ballot. The other is for state legislators to vote a constitutional amendment on the ballot for voter approval or not.

Anti-abortion legislators in Kansas last August; Montana and Kentucky Tuesday, were too smart by half in trying to use the latter route to outlaw abortion in their state constitutions. The August 2nd Kansas vote crushed the proposed abortion ban there by 165,000 votes (18%). The Kansas vote was a harbinger of the votes Tuesday in Kentucky and Montana, where red state legislators jumped on the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade to get their abortion restrictions embedded in the state constitution, and ultimately state law. Neither vote was close: Montana rejected the provision by 5.2%; Kentucky by 4.8%. In all 3 red states a whole bunch of Republican voters rejected ending privacy for women’s most important and personal medical decision.

Republican legislators weaponizing the abortion issue with their base were better off with Roe v. Wade standing. Getting their wish, allowing them to vote the end to one of the most cherished privacy issues enshrined in the US Constitution for a near half century, is proving to be an electoral nightmare, It was one of several factors that not only prevented a Red Wave Tuesday. It helped keep in play control of Congress, still possible to tilt Democratic 4 days after the election.

Anti-abortion zealots in red state legislatures have learned a hard lesson. Be careful what you wish for….you might get it.