OPINION: Kansas Democrat Josh Svaty can’t hedge on abortion after Justice Kennedy’s retirement
Between campaign events near
In a phone interview on Wednesday, Svaty was still chill: "I don't know if it affects state politics all that much; it would be different if there were a
Suddenly, the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion could be overturned, not in theory or some day but right here and right now. As a result, Svaty can no longer get away with any ambiguity on the issue ahead of his August Democratic primary.
As a state legislator right out of college, in a seat Svaty campaigned for from his dorm room, he voted with his pro-life district. In this campaign, the Ellsworth farmer and former state ag secretary has said only that he respects all sides in the abortion debate and would sign no new restrictions into law.
As of this week, that's not good enough. Because if abortion rights revert to the states, would he or would he not again vote his district, so to speak, and sign a law limiting abortion?
"I'm not necessarily trying to be coy," he said, "but there are multiple hurdles of hypotheticals there. The political right -- not the people -- has weaponized this issue, and before I go down the road of hypotheticals, I want to see them put their money where their mouth is. As a person who grew up around people who care deeply about this issue" and then as someone who, while serving in
I am, too. But before
In fact, voters across the country are going to want to hear in detail from candidates about what laws they will and won't support now that they can reasonably expect to be casting real and not show votes on abortion rights.
Another Democrat whose life just got harder is
After decades of fundraising from both sides on the supposedly imminent threat to abortion rights, maybe you're skeptical about whether this is just another false alarm. The chief counsel for the Judicial Crisis Network, which pushes for more conservative judges, said in an
But it's hard to believe that the chief counsel,
"It's ridiculous" to argue as Severino does that the decision is not likely to be overturned, said conservative
As Svaty says, that is a few hypotheticals from now. The last time
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