The Work Continues

In a primary election that saw historic new voter registrations and turnout, Kansans solidly defeated a ballot initiative that would have stripped women and birthing people of their constitutional right to an abortion. We raised our voices together and said “No.” And so, today, women and birthing people in Kansas maintain a constitutional right to abortion. 

This victory was not guaranteed.  

This election served as a wake-up call for many Kansans, and has only made it more crucial that we continue to mobilize and educate our community on the issues that directly and disproportionately affect marginalized community members. We’ve seen now what we can accomplish when we come together to work for a common cause.  We must remain informed, we must remain engaged, we must remain organized, so that together, we can continue to empower women and birthing people.  

“Our fight for reproductive justice is also a fight for economic and educational justice for women and girls, especially women and girls of color. We know that lack of access to abortion has long term negative consequences, impacting everything from educational achievement to financial security... That’s why, beyond August 2nd, we must keep up the fight for fair workplace policies and practices, including a living wage, so that women across our community can continue to build their futures and their families on their terms." -Kathleen Marker, YWCA Northeast Kansas CEO 

 

So, what’s next?  

YWCA Northeast Kansas will remain on a mission with our community partners and you. Together, we must advocate: 

• for free, fair, accessible elections 
• for policies that create safety and support for survivors of gender-based violence 
• for access to affordable, quality, culturally-competent health care especially for Black, Indigenous women of color 
• for an end to the childcare crisis 
• for a world that sees women, girls and people of color the way we do: equal, powerful, and capable of deciding their own futures. 

We join with our sister YWCAs across the country in continuing to fight for the future we know women and girls of color deserve. We’re not new to this, we’re true to this, and we hope you will continue to be a part of the movement, because it will take all of us working for a community where institutions are transformed, so that we can experience true peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. Read more about our work for Reproductive Justice, and how you can become involved, by clicking here.