Illustrated: The South isn't so anti-abortion after all. Kentucky proved it at the polls.

Advocates for abortion saw major victories in the midterm elections—even in deep red states like Kentucky. 

This November, voters in the state rejected Amendment 2, a ballot measure that would have amended the state's constitution to ensure that nothing within it creates a right to abortion. The amendment failed to pass by nearly 5 percentage points, or 742,232 votes against to 675,634 votes in favor.

Despite the victory for reproductive health, a near-total abortion ban is still in place in the state, outlawing the procedure in nearly all cases. The ban is currently under judicial review, but with Roe v. Wade overruled, it's unlikely abortion will be legal again anytime soon.

"The fact of the matter is that abortion and reproductive rights have been under attack in Kentucky for decades now," Meghana, a 25-old Kentuckian, told Scalawag ahead of the election. "It is an issue that touches the very core of bodily autonomy and freedom."

With the future of abortion in Kentucky still in limbo, organizers are taking lessons from this victory to build momentum toward returning bodily autonomy to the people. In this illustrated story, a Kentucky mother-daughter artist-activist team spoke with organizers in their home state about how they defeated the "red wave" this midterm.

See also:

On abortion, count on Gen Z for more than votes

In a midterm election season rife with speculation about "the youth vote," these young Southerners fighting for abortion access know that their work doesn't end on election day.

by Rainesford Stauffer

Arwen Donahue and Phoebe Wagoner are a mother-daughter team. This story is their first published collaboration.

This season on As The South Votes, Scalawag and Anoa Changa are teaming back up to talk about what's working, what's not, and what lessons Southern organizers have learned in their efforts to make the region we love a more just place.

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