Vox Sentences - How Kansas upheld abortion access

Kansas backs abortion rights; Ukraine studies same-sex marriage.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

An abortion rights victory in Kansas

Dave Kaup/AFP via Getty Images

• Tuesday, Kansas voted decisively to protect abortion access until the 22nd week of pregnancy in the first test of public opinion on abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. [Washington Post / Annie Gowen and Colby Itkowitz]
• More than 900,000 Kansas voted; 59 percent rejected an amendment to the state constitution that would have cleared the path for lawmakers to further restrict or ban abortions. [Slate / Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern]
• President Joe Biden and Democrats praised the vote as an example of public support for abortion. Some analysts believe abortion rights could be a winning issue for Democrats in November’s midterm elections. [Guardian / Gloria Oladipo]
• The vote to uphold abortion rights in a deeply conservative state could also be seen as a warning to GOP legislatures currently pushing bans and restrictions. [Associated Press / John Hanna and Margaret Stafford]
• Meanwhile, Biden signed a second executive order aimed at protecting abortion rights asking the Department of Health and Human Services to help people travel interstate to receive abortion care. [Reuters / Nandita Bose and Alexandra Alper]

Ukraine weighs same-sex partnerships

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenkskyy on Tuesday asked his government to look into legalizing same-sex marriage. However, no changes will happen until after Russia’s invasion ends. [Reuters]
• The move comes after nearly 30,000 people signed a petition in favor, earning a presidential review. [CNN / Rob Picheta, Vasco Cotovio, and Olga Voitovych]
• Russia is moving in the opposite direction as parliament weighs even stricter laws prohibiting access to information about the LGBT community. [Radio Free Europe / Aleksandr Pugachyov and Sergei Khazov-Cassia]
• War and concern about Russia’s LGBT stance spreading to Ukraine have made the issue an urgent one for hundreds of gay Ukrainian soldiers and their partners. [New York Times / Maham Javaid and Dan Bilefsky]

A federal grand jury subpoenaed former White House counsel Pat Cipollone to testify in the Justice Department investigation into the events of January 6, 2021. [NYT / Maggie Haberman and Luke Broadwater]

• OPEC countries agreed Wednesday to modestly increase oil output by 100,000 barrels per day; Biden has pushed for higher increases to combat rising gas prices. [CNN / Anna Cooban]
• 24 million tons of seaweed is killing wildlife and interrupting tourism around the Caribbean. Scientists say climate change or nutrients from fertilizer runoff could be to blame. [AP / Danica Coto]
• Vin Scully, the longtime broadcaster for LA Dodgers baseball, died Tuesday at 94. [Los Angeles Times / David Wharton]

  Support our journalism

Reader contributions help keep newsletters like Sentences free for all. Support our work with a one-time gift today.

“Kansans bluntly rejected anti-abortion politicians’ attempts at creating a reproductive police state.” 

[Kimberly Inez McGuire, executive director of Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity/ AP]

Did Joe Manchin just save the planet?

Probably not, but he did finally compromise on the Inflation Reduction Act (née Build Back Better), which could be the most significant climate spending bill in US history. Vox’s Li Zhou and Rebecca Leber explain.

Read more from Vox

The US could stop one cause of heat wave deaths tomorrow

Instagram is once again in its flop era

The crypto crackdown begins

4 winners and 1 loser from the Kansas, Missouri, Arizona, and Michigan primaries

The US declared victory over polio in 1979. Now, it’s here again.

This email was sent to you. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe. If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution.

View our Privacy Notice and our Terms of Service.

Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036.
Copyright © 2022. All rights reserved.