THE Conservative US state of Kansas has voted to protect abortion rights in a referendum.
In a major victory for pro-choice groups, voters overwhelmingly said they did not wish to amend the state constitution to assert there is no right to abortion.
States across the US have been left to make their own decisions on whether termination should be legal after the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe vs Wade ruling two months ago that legalised abortion nationwide.
It was the first electoral test of the issue since the court allowed states to ban the procedure and projections suggest Kansans voted by more than 60% to uphold the state’s constitutional right for women to access abortion.
It is at this stage only a projection and the official result will be confirmed in a week.
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Kansas was won by Republican former president Donald Trump by 15 points just two years ago and so the result is being regarded as highly significant.
More than a dozen Republican-led states have moved to ban or further restrict abortion since the Supreme Court's decision on June 24.
Although Kansas is staunchly conservative, its abortion regulations are less strict than many other Republican-led states.
It allows pregnancies to be terminated up to 22 weeks with other restrictions, including a mandatory 24-hour waiting period and mandatory parental consent for children seeking an abortion.
President Joe Biden said the result showed "the majority of Americans agree that women should have access to abortion".
One voter, Taylor Hirth, wept as she celebrated the result with her nine-year-old daughter at a watch party in Overland Park, Kansas.
"I'm a rape survivor, and the thought of my daughter ever becoming pregnant and not being able to do anything about it angers me," she told the BBC.
"I never thought this would happen here, but we have worked so hard here to get the vote out. Republicans underestimated us."
Campaign group Back Off Scotland - which wants to see anti-protest buffer zones implemented around abortion clinics - said it hoped other states would follow Kansas's lead.
Founder Lucy Grieve said: “Almost two months on from the devastating repeal of Roe vs Wade, it’s great to see a pro-choice victory in a traditionally ‘red’ state.
"The Kansas abortion referendum has confirmed what we already know; the majority of the American population support a woman’s right to abortion access. We can only hope that other states follow suit.”
Value Them Both, a Kansas based anti-abortion group, said that "Kansans endured an onslaught of misinformation from radical left organizations" over the past six months, that "spread lies" about the amendment.
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"This outcome is a temporary setback, and our dedicated fight to value women and babies is far from over," a message on its Twitter page said.
Green MSP Gillian Mackay, who has proposed buffer zones be introduced at Scottish clinics through her Safe Access Zones Bill, said: "I welcome the news that the state of Kansas has voted to protect abortion rights in a referendum. It's a hugely positive step following the devastating overturning of Roe vs Wade.
"This is just one of many states though, and I want to send solidarity to our sisters across the United States. We will continue to make our voice heard and we won't stop supporting their campaign.
"There is only one week left to complete the consultation on my member's bill to introduce buffer zones in Scotland. I would encourage anyone who has yet to complete the consultation to visit bufferzones.scot if they want their voice heard.
"This legislation is vital to make sure that no one has to continue to face the harassment that we've seen here in Scotland."
Kansas officials said voter turnout across the state was significantly higher than expected on a primary voting day when Republicans usually outnumber Democrats by two to one.
In the month before the vote, a Catholic church and a statue of the Virgin Mary were defaced with red paint and a pro-choice slogan.
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