Kentucky Boots Pro-Life Governor Tuesday, Mississippi Voters Keep Theirs 
Email this article
Printer friendly page
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 7, 2007
Frankfort, KY (LifeNews.com) — Voters in Kentucky booted their pro-life governor out of office, but not because of his stance on pro-life issues. Gov Ernie Fletcher was plagued by a hiring scandal while in office and was defeated Tuesday night while Mississippi voters cast ballots in favor of keeping pro-life Gov. Haley Barbour in office.
Fletcher lost the gubernatorial race to pro-abortion former attorney general and lieutenant governor Steve Beshear. The Democrat received about 60 percent of the votes while the Republican Fletcher received 40 percent.
"Abortion is a tragedy anytime it happens, under any circumstances, and as governor, I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that women have choices other than that," Beshear said in the debate.
However, he said abortions should be left up to women and that state government should not have any input on whether abortions are legal or if any limits should be put in place.
Fletcher, an ordained Baptist minister, opposes abortion and he is a physician who, as a member of Congress, compiled a strongly pro-life voting record.
Fletcher had a 100 percent pro-life voting record while in Congress and, as governor, continued that by signing a bill in 2004 that would protect pregnant women like Laci Peterson and their unborn children from violence.
Meanwhile, in Mississippi, Gov. Haley Barbour easily defeated Democratic challenger John Arthur Eaves Jr. to win a second term by a 58 to 42 percentage point margin.
Barbour pleased pro-life voters there in March by signing a bill that would prohibit abortions in the state should the Supreme Court ever overturn Roe v. Wade. The bill would also require abortion businesses there to allow women considering an abortion to see an ultrasound beforehand.
Under the trigger law, the only cases of abortion that would be allowed after Roe is reversed would be when the abortion directly threatens the life of the mother and in cases of rape.
"We commend Governor Haley Barbour for supporting women and their unborn children by signing this bill into law," Mary Spaulding Balch, an attorney for National Right to Life who addresses state legislation, told LifeNews.com at the time.
