The pro-abortion left, having been set back by the Dobbs decision, was going to have to adopt a new playbook in red states. Their success in red Kansas means that a softer, gentler, “anti-mandate, pro-freedom” approach to abortion messaging will be deployed in upcoming ballot fights in states like Kentucky and Michigan.

If there’s one clear takeaway here for those pro-lifers crafting policy questions for the people, it runs against the vagaries of legal arguments and in favor of constitutional clarity. Instead of an open-ended amendment that could be framed by opponents as a preface to a total ban, Kansas could have taken a course favored by many Republican states — a pro-life heartbeat-tied amendment with the standard exceptions in place. This would have made for a clearer yes/no case to the voters.

What happened in Kansas is another sign the pro-life side will have to adapt their language — so often couched in terms focused on the judiciary — to new political state-level battles they have been unable to fight for the last fifty years.