On Tuesday, President Biden applauded a Kansas vote that rejected a state constitutional amendment that would have abolished abortion protections and given the state legislature more authority to regulate access to the surgery.

It was the first time voters had weighed in on abortion since the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, and it was viewed as an indicator of how Americans would react to the high court's decision.

"The harsh judgment of the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade endangered the health and lives of women, and the American people have something to say about it tonight," Biden stated.

"Kansas voters went out in unprecedented numbers to reject extremist proposals to modify the state constitution to restrict a woman's right to choose and pave the way for a statewide ban. This result confirms what we already know: the majority of Americans believe women should have access to abortion and the ability to make their own health care decisions "he added.

The proposed amendment would have stated that the state constitution does not protect abortion rights, essentially overturning a 2019 decision by the state supreme court.

Biden also urged Congress to codify abortion protections following the Supreme Court's June elimination of the constitutional right to an abortion.

Democrats and abortion rights proponents praised Kansas' rejection of the abortion ballot initiative, while conservatives grieved the result. Given the state's conservative leanings, many were also surprised.

"For my money, the most significant result of the evening is Kansas' landslide vote against more abortion restrictions. Red Kansas, for Christ's sake. Even if the vote had been close and NO had lost, this would have indicated a backlash against Dobbs and a subsequent rush to criminalize abortion, "Larry Sabato, founder, and director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, tweeted.

Others suggested that the result represented more nuanced attitudes toward abortion in the state.

Conservative pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson tweeted, "With the Kansas abortion amendment vote, just a reminder that there are a sizable number of voters who: -consider themselves pro-life or who would support prohibiting abortion after 15 weeks AND -also believe Roe should be upheld,"