Sorry, not buying it. A simple “no” vote without explanation or excuse would have been forgotten in a week, unless pro-choice zealots (do they exist in your worldview, or is it only those opposed to abortion who can be zealots?) chose to make an issue out of it, in which case their attack on Brownback would be the single-issue zealotry.
The MSM made abortion an issue, ever single day, against Phil Kline.
It was not pushing abortion, directly, but the MSM said Kline was a zealot, ignoring other duties, treating every other politician with a “litmus test”, was an “ideologue” etc etc.
Kansas went proabortion PRIOR to Roe V. Wade. We have had a terrible time, in this state, but we are fighting to get even with the restrictions placed on abortion, in the rest of the country.
Cooperation and consensus and compromise would put Tiller out of business.
However, the prolife radicals call anything short of a complete ban, “treason” to the cause!