Biden: Kansas abortion vote sends ‘powerful signal’ about elections this fall

President Biden on Wednesday called Kansas’s vote in favor of abortion rights a “powerful signal” about elections ahead of November’s midterms, as Democrats look to harness energy sparked by the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

“The voters of Kansas sent a powerful signal that this fall the American people will vote to preserve and protect the rights, and refuse to let them be ripped away by politicians,” Biden said in remarks at the opening of his administration’s task force meeting on reproductive health care.  

The president called on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade.

“If Congress fails to act, the people of this country need to elect senators and representatives who will restore Roe and protect the right to privacy, freedom and equality,” he said, seeking to highlight the stakes of the midterm elections.  

The decisive victory for abortion rights supporters against an amendment to remove abortion protections from the Kansas Constitution on Tuesday has given Democrats new hope about the electoral power of the issue heading into the fall.  

Unlike in the single-issue Kansas vote, midterm voters this November will be deciding on lawmakers based on a range of factors, including inflation, that could drag down Democrats.  

But facing a tough midterm landscape, Democrats hope that the abortion issue provides a boost.  

Biden made the remarks as he also signed an executive order to explore using Medicaid to help pay for women to travel across state lines for abortions.  

Attorney General Merrick Garland, speaking at the task force meeting Wednesday, also said the Department of Justice would be moving to dismiss a Texas lawsuit against the administration’s guidance that reminds health providers that federal law requires abortions to be provided in medical emergencies.  

Garland said the administration would “vigorously litigate this suit.”