the kansas constitution has a clause that absolutely guarantees women natural inalienable rights, andir own reproductive health. nothing has shoes changed in that kansas long three and half years. the restrictions are still in place, the regulations are still in place. but over and over and over again, the legislature who is super majority republican, has aimed at trying to eliminate women's ability to make their own health decisions. the amendment is very confusing. it is written in a very convoluted way, and really takes a lot of explanation. and, the legislation specifically chose what they thought would be the very lowest turnout election possible. not a general election ballot, either in a presidential year or a mid term, but a primary election in the midterms. the lowest possible votes. so, our job in terms of defending women's rights is really education and mobilization. and making sure that people know who can vote, people know how to vote, people know what the amendment says, and people know now looking at all of our surrounding states and neighbors, many of whom have totally

the kansas constitution actually has brought protection of individual rights, and this is a natural inoff a right, belonging to all of the citizens of kansas, certainly including the woman of kansas. so, very strong decision. the republican legislature and, crafted a very confusing amendment, intentionally confusing. and shows the lowest possible turnout election in primary, in a mid term. you know, not presidential year, not anything else, so it's a vote in three weeks, very intentionally drying under the radar. what they didn't figure is that the dobbs decision would come down in this kind of timely manner. it really galvanized people in kansas to take a look at what's the situation can be. >> yeah, it's interesting because obviously, you know, you are the governor of that state. there's currently a democratic governor in the state of kansas. it's a fairly conservative state, at the presidential level, it's a very republican state, and has been very republican for a very long time, going all the way back to the founding of the republican party, actually. and, you know, i felt the pol

currently, the kansas constitution protects the right to bodily autonomy, which includes the right tose new amendment passes it would strip abortion rights from the state constitution and open the door for the state legislature, currently under republican control, to further restrict or even ban abortion outright. tuesday's vote is the first time since the supreme court overturned roe v. wade that voters anywhere in the country will cast ballots on abortion. the ballot measure was planned before the supreme court decision to overturn roe v. wade. in fact, groups on both sides have poured millions of dollars into advertising. nbc news reports that before the supreme court decision, outside groups spent a combined one point $6 million on ads. since then, spending has more than can quadrupled with groups shelling out nearly seven point $8 million through august the 2nd. here is one ad from the kansans for constitutional freedom act. >> abortion is already highly regulated in texas. here are the facts. texas funding for abortion, outlawed. abortion after viability, banned. parental consen

california and vermont do have on the ballot the idea of adding it to their constitution. kansas has a constitution saying that the constitution does not have anything on abortion. the proper place for that to happen is with the people of the state themselves to change their constitution. it should not be the courts that are changing the constitution and the state but the people of the state. different states have different processes for that but they have to follow those processes and have justices read their own political views into the state constitution itself to address some of these major issues. host: this is why nita from north carolina. good morning. juanita are you with us? caller: thank you for taking my call. yes, i am here. host: go ahead with your comment or question, we are listening. caller: thank you. thank you for taking my call. how do you feel about this large miscarriage of justice and often repeated that the lower level, a very innocent, naive girl worked at a 7-eleven. she came to work on a very busy saturday night and was told that she had to train a new e

kansas is being watched because on august 2nd, less than a month from now, we will have a vote on the constitutionalion of whether abortion should be legal or not in kansas whether it's a constitutionally protected right. i wanted to make sure that my county, my constituents knew how strongly i felt that we should not be involved in this sort of matter as a criminal justice perspective and that i would not prosecute crimes involving anyone who sought and abortion or anyone who provided an abortion should be should the constitution be changed and should the kansas legislature criminalize any of reproductive rights. >> so if i can just ask about that for a moment, as you mention abortion rights are on the ballot in kansas come august 2nd. if the majority of voters vote yes then the language would be added to the kansas state constitution that would take away the right to an abortion. how concerned are you that this could happen? how would that impact your job? >> well, what the vote will do on august 2nd if it is a yes which is essentially amending the constitution, but that -- what that does is it ju

, there is constitutional protection for abortion here in kansas. ent would remove that constitutional protection for abortion, it doesn't ban abortion outright itself, it doesn't restrict abortion, what it does is remove those protections and essentially gives the power to the legislature, which is conservative here in kansas. it gives the legislature power to then potentially restrict abortion or ban abortion. we don't know that the legislature will do, but it gives the power to the elected officials to then take abortion into their hands. there hasn't been a ton of polling, there's really only one poll that shows about 47% of kansas, kansans, want to vote yes on this value amendment, it would remove those constitutional protections. 43% want to know, 10% are undecided. we are deciding that this will be pretty close jonathan. >> coming to us from kansas, thank you so much. turning now to michigan, let's bring in the states attorney general, dany -- attorney general nessel, thank you for being here. where do abortion rights in michigan stand today i

back in 2019, the kansas supreme court ruled that the kansas state constitution protects abortion rights in the state. now this value that -- look who's will be voted on this to remove those constitutional protections. abortion rights advocates say it could pave the way for much stronger restrictions, and could potentially be an abortion ban in the state of kansas. as we've been on the ground following the final push and the first big ballots for abortion, we've seen the voters are really engaged. we've met people who are canvassing for the very first time on both sides of the situation you. i want you to take a listen to our conversation with some of those first-time canvassers, people who have never really been involved in the political process. this time, they believe it's this time to make an impact. >> i love the pro-life movement my whole life, even as a teenager. i've had a passion for unborn babies and i feel like this was a time to step up as someone in kansas that it's an important time for us. this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. >> this particular vote, it's bothersome t

california and vermont do have on the ballot the idea of adding it to their constitution. kansasas a constitution saying that the constitution does not have anything on abortion. the proper place for that to happen is with the people of the state themselves to change their constitution. it should not be the courts that are changing the constitution and the state but the people of the state. different states have different processes for that but they have to follow those processes and have justices read their own political views into the state constitution itself to address some of these major issues. host: this is why nita from north carolina. good morning. juanita are you with us? caller: thank you for taking my call. yes, i am here. host: go ahead with your comment or question, we are listening. caller: thank you. thank you for taking my call. how do you feel about this large miscarriage of justice and often repeated that the lower level, a very innocent, naive girl worked at a 7-eleven. she came to work on a very busy saturday night and was told that she had to train a new emp

. >>> tonight, voters in kansas are heading to the polls next week to decide whether the state constitutionor women in kansas, but this is key, also for women in neighboring states who rely on services in kansas. nick valencia is "outfront." >> my name is helena. i'm the field director. >> reporter: in a small room in wichita, the fight for abortion rights is on. kansas will be the first state in the country to vote on whether the right to abortion is protected by the state's constitution since the supreme court overturned roe v. wade. ashley all is part of the coalition working to preserve abortion access in kansas. >> the amendment that is on the ballot will mandate government control over private medical decisions and ultimately pave the way for a total ban on abortion. >> reporter: in 2019, the kansas supreme court ruled that the state constitution protected personal autonomy, including the right of a woman to decide whether to continue a pregnancy. the ruling blocked legislators from passing laws restricting access within the state. if passed, the so-called value them both amendment wo

what about how state courts interpret the constitution? in kansas are bringing it up to a referendum, whether the state constitution guarantees a right to privacy. i would say that the most chilling thing which was -- i actually recorded on this before the final opinion came out, is what you alluded to in terms of states trying to prosecute abortion seekers and anyone who helps them across their borders. brett kavanaugh in his concurrence wrote that this shouldn't happen, that there is a right to travel. but all that matters is what actually happens when a court but it's on this, what's actually happens when a prosecutor tries to chase someone down for providing information. we have seen lawmakers in states across the country not satisfied with making abortion illegal, or almost impossible to access within the borders of their state, but also trying to hunt down patients who are seeking abortion outside their state. and as a result, even in states that don't have these kinds of restrictions, there's a lot of fear. i saw a memo today from planned par

travesty. >> elizabeth, you expect more states to simply get what's going on in kansas and put amendments to the state constitutionsllot that would directly impact abortion rights? >> yes i do. you know before kansas we had four states, alabama, louisiana, tennessee, and west virginia adopt similar ballot initiatives. and kentucky is coming up this november. we are seeing states not only banned abortion, but then take the next step to change the constitution so it does not protect abortion rights. on the flip side though we, have states that are looking to do the opposite. protect abortion rights, california, michigan and vermont all of ballot and issued have to do and protect rights all coming up in november. we are going to see a lot of back and forth. in state constitutions around abortions. and to sapphires point. it's incredibly confusing for voters, it takes a lot of education to help them understand really what is at stake. >> let me quickly follow up with elizabeth. sort of a high risk and high reward proposition if you make a ballot initiative right? quite possible that we could be surprised by the result

back in 2019 the kansas state supreme court ruled that abortion access is a constitutional right in the kansas. this amendment would remove that constitutional protection for abortion. and you said it there lindsay. this is going to be a huge, test not only a voter sentiment for abortion, but also just how big of a motivating factor this is. how much voters are engaging with this issue. and i will tell you as we've been on the ground here, we have met multiple people who are going out and canvassing for the first time. both on the vote yes and early vote no side of this issue. i want to take a listen to some of the conversations we have had. >> i feel what is at stake right now is not only the unborn babies that their lives could be taken, but also the mother's. this amendment will say both babies and mothers from lives of hurt and the shame they may carry. >> one of the criticisms of the process here is that this amendment is on the primary ballot, and not on the general. and the primary tonight tends to be lower, it tends to be more conservative, so that is an additional obstacle for

it's definitely something the kansas legislature has demonstrated previously that they are pretty extreme on this issue. where it not for a constitutionaless abortion, they would have already passed one of these extreme bills. so, if this constitutional amendment were to pass, it would open the door to these extreme, to an extreme ban. i say open the door, they've already tried to go through that door, they've just been locked out. now, with this constitutional amendment, we have the opportunity to continue to keep that door closed. >> in terms of extremism, antiabortion groups pushing the amendment were caught on tape last week saying that they would push legislation that would quote, criminalize all abortion from the moment of fertilization until birth. knowing about this, these extreme ideas that they have, these extreme plans, how are you preparing to fight that? >> i mean, a couple of things. one, i can tell you that there are so many people who are working really really hard to ensure that politicians are not the ones making their health care decisions for them, that's really important to the folks here at home in kansas. the seco

constitutional freedom. >> reporter: in a small room in wichita, the fight for abortion rights is on. kansas in the country to vote on whether the right to abortion is protected by the state's constitution. ashley all is part of the coalition working to support abortion access in the state. >> it ultimately pave the way for a total ban on abortion. >> reporter: in 2019 the kansas supreme court ruled the state constitution protected personal autonomy, including the right of a woman to decide whether to continue a pregnancy. the ruling effect ily blolked legislatures from passing laws from restricting abortion access in the state. if passed the so-called value them both amendment would give back pow tore the super majority legislature to regulate access to abortions in the state. >> we believe they will -- if this amendment passes, they will act quickly to ban abortion outright. that has been their goal for a long time. >> reporter: adding to their worries, the issue is being voted on in the primary rather than the general election in a state where registered republicans vastly outnumber democ

i'm field director for constitutional freedom. >> reporter: in a small group in wish ta, the fight for abortion rights is on. kansason whether the right for abortion is protected by the state's constitution since the supreme court overturned roe versus wade. >> the amendment that is on the ballot will mandate government control over our private medical decisions and ultimately pave the way for a total ban on abortion. >> reporter: in 2019, the kansas supreme court ruled that the state constitution protected pe personal autonomy. the ruling effectively blocked legislators from passing laws to restrict abortion access within the state. if passed on august 2nd, the so-called value them both amendment would give back power to the super republican legislature. >> we believe they will, if this amendment passes, they will act quickly to ban abortion outright. that has been their goal for a long time. >> reporter: adding to their worries, the issue is being voted on in the primary rather than the general election. in a state where registered republicans vastly outnumber democrats, abortion rights advocates believe the move

. ♪ >>> voters in kansas will decide tuesday if the state's constitution protect it is right to abortionvery, very close. >> yeah. it could be. look. if you take a look at average of polls in kansas since 2012 48% believe abortion should be always or mostly legal. that's well within a margin of error. you know it's a republican state. if abortion, if voters say it should be legal and should not be any -- you should have a constitutional right to an abortion, if abortion foes can't win in kansas where can they win? this is a real test. if abortion activists win in kansas they can win in a lot of places. >> i want to talk about primary races. republicans in the house that voted to impeach donald trump. tell us how they're doing. >> this is a great test. we have three. two in washington. one in michigan. we have seen two republicans who voted to impeach trump face the voters. tom rice was blown out. david valadao won. that's happening in washington so irthink butler and newhouse are probably in better shape than say a meijer in michigan who's outspoken but it is difficult to predict house p

. >> in 2019, the kansas supreme court ruled that the state constitution protected personal autonomy. for a woman to decide whether to continue a pregnancy. the ruling blocked legislators from passing laws to restrict abortion access within the state. if passed, on august 2nd, the so-called, value them both amendment, would bring back power to the republican super majority legislator, to legislate access to abortions in the state. >> we believe that if this amendmen t passes, they will act quickly to ban abortion out right. that has been a goal for a long time. >> out into the worries, the issue being voted on in the primary, rather than the general election. in a state where registered republicans vastly out numbered democrats, abortion rights advocates believe that the move was intentional by state conservatives to limit number publican turnout. >> i believe it is best to have a little abortion, if not any, as possible. >> abortion is a right. >> at the can is important -- all the young babies of the lies being saved. >> i don't want rights taken away. >> some voters were concerned

currently, the kansas legislature is barred from passing laws that would place an undue burden on people seek reproductive health care services. but we have constitutionalot on august 2nd, and, you know, this is so important as we, as kansas has watched neighboring states, like missouri, pass some very extreme laws, total bans that would criminalize people seeking health care, and similar proposals have been introduced in kansas previously but were blocked by or constitution. so, you know, we're doing everything we can to beat back this constitutional amendment that would really, no just pave a path for those extreme proposals, but essentially create a highway to those extreme bans. kansas has made it clear, this is not the direction they want to go. >> this is a case study for across the country, people fighting for abortion rights. if this passes, it is possible somebody raped or the victim of incest would have to deliver that baby. what is your recourse here? what can what can activists do? what can members of congress do? what can people do who want to protect their rights in their home states ? >> i can tell you here in kansas, so many people are w

that's because the kansas supreme court back in 2019 ruled that the state's constitution protects theat voters in kansas viewed as a reliably red state have repeatedly expressed support for some reproductive rights. a poll last year found that 60% of cansans opposed making abortion slightly illegal and movr more than half believed the state government should not regulate abortion. here's the rub. kansas voters were a primary election on tuesday are being asked to support or reject an amendment that would explicitly strip the state constitution of that right making it easier for the republican-controlled legislature to further restriction or even outright ban abortion, and that legislature has been just licking its chops at the prospect. in the spring a bill was introduced to ban abortion statewide with no exceptions for rain or incest. the timing of this referendum is no accident. republicans place it had on the primary ballot because who is seep engaged in the dog days of summerings religious fanatic diehards, that's who, and they are being mobilized by churches across the state. pro

on august 2nd, kansas will be the first state in the country to vote on a constitutional protection of abortion. they actually have access in kansas today, and they get to see the reality of what's happening around them. they say the government interference, the bans on care, and they can do something to pushback. and it's really the playbook of the other states are gonna have to use. they're gonna have to fight back at the state level to get the protections you deserve. >> congresswoman, the troubling trend right now that we saw with clarence thomas's opinion, it's not just abortion rights. in fact, some borough of the gop governor terrell candidates indicated this week that they would support banning same sex marriage as well. let's play this for our viewers, watch. >> i believe that the federal government, the supreme court, needs to start rolling back a lot of these things and give the power back to the states where it belongs. the michigan constitution defines a marriage between one man and one woman. and that is my belief also. >> article one, section 25 of our constitution, mich

and you mentioned the states like kansas that have abortion rights as part of their constitution.ther states don't have those laws necessarily. what makes you think that your lawsuits have a chance in reversing any of this in states that are going forward trying to ban or severely restrict abortion? >> well, let me start with the fact that, i mean, our immediate concern is to be able to keep clinics open and abortion providers to be able to provide the services to the people in their communities for as long as possible. so, you know, states can't move with expedition without making sure they're complying with their own laws. and it's really important. i mean, in lose uisiana, aborti services are not being able to be provided. and that makes a huge difference for the person sitting in the waiting room, has made the decision. it's a huge change in their life. it's important that we're able to keep clinics open as long as possible. and in some states where we're challenging under the state constitutions, they may well prevail in the long term of keeping abortion access in those state

listen and targets of 2019 decision from the kansas supreme court that ruled that abortion rights are protected in the state constitution. this amendment, if it passes, will remove those protections and potentially pave the way to more restrictions and as abortion rights activists here and all right van here in kansas. all weekend, there has been a full blown effort to get out the vote on both sides of this issue. we've been talking to antiabortion activists and abortion rights activists as well. take a listen to some of the conversations we had. >> i want to see a future where unelected judges do not decide for the rest of us the limits on abortion in our states. we don't have that ability to do that right now. and passing the amendment's new only way for us to once again be involved in this discussion. >> this particular vote is bothersome to me, because of the way that the church has been used to sway people, and mislead people, and i don't want the church to be used in that manner. that's one of the reasons i really want people to vote no, because the church is not supposed to be used in that manner. >> richard, wha

is being attempted in my home state of kansas, as i mentioned, we are trying to pass the vote because our supreme court wrongly decided that the 1859 constitution had a right to abortion and it. that is absurd. we are trying to write that, we have instances in kansas right now where churches are being vandalized, would you comment on that, briefly? >> you are right, the roe v. wade decision misled not only the people but also the supreme courts. as far as they vandalism -- >> the gentleman's time has expired. >> thank you, madam chair, i yield back. >> the gentlewoman from california, jackie spears recognized for five minutes. >> madam chair, thank you so much for holding this hearing. let me say at the outset, to my good friend, mr. jordan, two others on the republican side, yes, we deplore violence against crisis pregnancy centers. we deplore violence against justices and judges, we deplore violence against the institution we call the u.s. capital. we also deplore violence against abortion clinics and you have said nothing about the fact that 11 people have been murdered at those clinics. for doctors, to clinic employees, once the qcard, one

kansas. where the states supreme court has found a right to reproductive freedom in the state constitution. there is now an initiative on the ballot that would try to strip women of that right. we are fighting back. third, our fire wall. we want to hold politicians accountable. we want to hold officials accountable. get them on the record. and we are focusing on district attorney races. because district attorneys are going to be charged, or have been with interpreting their state laws. and we do not want to see them file criminal prosecutions. so in places like shelby county tennessee, or clark county nevada. wake county north carolina. we are asking candidates to put their position on the record. and we are looking at state legislatures. state legislatures are the ones who are going to be considering abortion bans. considering whether or not to recount their trigger laws. those are old laws that were are on the books that are now back in effect. we want to hold them accountable and make sure that we hold elected officials accountable to voting for women 's reproductive health. >> many of t

the kansas supreme court actually found that the state constitution protects the right to abortion justears ago, so this is an aggressive attempt by the extremist right to take away a right people have had for years, much like we're seeing in indiana right now, much like we're seeing in states across the country. so our focus is advocacy and electoral. right now we are on the ground trying to fight back where we can, and then it's going to be about making sure we draw a very clear contrast between the candidates and the parties in this moment. we have one party which is led by a president and vice president taking the fight to the states as you showed in that clip with vp harris, and another that's just descending into frankly extremist madness and cannot be coordinated in their response. >> and it's so far out of the mainstream of public opinion, which is what makes it not just dangerous and deadly but a political, inexplicable. i want to show you something else inexplicable because it is indicative of where today's republican party stands. it's a leader in this country whose views abo

constitution. we're going to watch this state by state. this is interesting, though. kansasic governor, which is a tradition. two red states, two states trump carried significantly are going to weigh in next on this debate. >> putting aside the democratic governor for a sikd,econd, beca i'm from kansas, we joke a democratic governor tends to be a republican in massachusetts, essentially. it is a conservative state. now, voters are going to have the opportunity to decide in that ballot august 6th whether or not they want to give the state the opportunity to create abortion restrictions. currently legal in the state of kansas. but what voters will actually be deciding is whether the state should be able to put additional regulations on abortion. you've seen vice president harris traveling to various different states. harris is saying the white house is behind you, also speaking at national conferences. this is a role they've put the vice president in as they head to the midterm elections. >> indiana proposal, i believe i have this right, has exceptions for rape, insist, and li

also, in just a few weeks voters in kansas will be the first to decide if they want to and abortion rights for candidates currently in that state. constitutionalswoman cherice davis will join in for that discussion. and of, course if it is sunday, it is and gloria. and gloria's coming back to the sunday show. we are going to talk to her about everything from january six to post roe america, to everything. 10 am eastern, on the sunday show, sam. >> jonathan, i apologize for the admission of the most important biographical detail that you have, that you are a former new york -- good luck on the show today and we will see you sunday. still, ahead get out your -- because it is almost time for this week's meeting of the velshi banned book club. i have two special guests, to, for this meeting. author jacqueline woodson, and none other than ali velshi. we will be right back. none other than ali [whistling]velshi we will be right back. when you have technology that's easier to control... that can scale across all your clouds... we got that right? yeah, we got that. it's easier to be an innovator. so you can do more incredible things. [whistling] with

in kansas, the first post-roe vote on abortion will be happening tuesday when voters will decide whether the state's constitution will preserve the right to an abortion. also happening on tuesday, in arizona, former president trump and former vice president pence are going head to head backing opposing republican candidates in the race for governor. pence endorsing for karrin taylor robson and trump for kari lake. a former local news anchor who continues to push the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen. pence apparently distancing himself from trump. this race will be a true test of trump's influence over the gop in arizona. and across the country as well. this race certainly highlighting the growing divide between trump and the republican party. eva. >> reena roy there for us. thank you. >>> jon karl will be tackling the midterms later this morning on "this week." he'll be speaking to arizona house speaker rusty bowers who testified at a january 6th hearing and who is now running against a trump-backed candidate. he'll also go one-on-one with west virginia senator joe manchin. plus, comedian jon stewar

kansas has become critical for abortion access for neighboring states, but that may soon end if an amendment is passed to alter that state's constitutionoming, a judge temporarily blocked a state abortion ban on wednesday. the day it was set to go into effect. challengers say the ban violates wyoming's constitution. and in indiana, the push to tighten abortion ban bill failed in the state senate. on thursday, indiana's republican-dominated senate rejected a push by conservative lawmakers to strip exceptions for rape and incest victims. the rejected proposal came in the wake of a political firestorm over a 10-year-old rape victim who traveled to the state from neighboring ohio to end her pregnancy. cnn's alexandra field has more about what's going on here. >> reporter: what we've been tracking all week in indiana is the deep divide essentially among republican state senators. those who want to see an abortion ban passed and those who want to see the strictest possible abortion ban passed. when legislators reconvened for a special session to pass the abortion ban, they were looking at a bill that would have had ze exemptions for rape, in

our state supreme court wrongly decided that our 1859 constitution had a right to abortion, which is absolutely absurd. but we have instances in kansas right now are the churches are being vandalized. would you comment on that briefly? >> i think you're right the decision not only must lead to sathe american people by opposig the right to abortion but also state supreme court. so hopefully kansas can rectify that. as far as the vandalism -- >> the ladies time is expired. >> the gentlewoman from ohio. the gentlewoman from california, ms. jackie spears for five minutes. >> thank you so much for holding this hearing. let me say at the outset to my good friend and to others on the republican side yes, we deplore violence against pregnancy centers and justices and judges. we deplore violence against the institution we call the u.s. capitol. we also deplore violence against abortion clinics. and you have said nothing about the fact that 11 people have been murdered at those clinics. for doctors, to clinic employees, one security guard, one police officer and one clinic escort. last year there were 186 arsonso targeted at abortion centers.

democratic-led supreme court in kansas must stand for retention elections and some likely to become targets of republicans infuriated by the court's ruling in 2019 that abortion is a constitutional of the state party against a democratic incumbent justice in an effort to scrub remaining moderates from the already conservative court. we have so many conversations about what democrats would need in the united states senate to be filibuster proof. we do not talk all that often about state supreme courts, talk about how prominently they play into this conversation. >> very prominently, and so just to back up for a moment, so our viewers understand, nicole, whenever there's an abortion restriction, it could be a challenge of violation of the federal constitution, like the right to privacy, or state constitutions and what the u.s. supreme court last week decided in that mississippi case called dobbs was that the u.s. constitution doesn't provide any barrier to abortion restrictions. the u.s. supreme court cannot say anything about state constitutions, even though they're called the supreme court, they're not supreme when it comes to matters of state law. so state law, state constituti