Kentucky Senate Approves Comprehensive Abortion Bill as Pro-Lifers Rally 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 8, 2008
Frankfort, KY (LifeNews.com) — As hundreds of pro-life advocates made their way to the state capitol for Kentucky Right to Life’s "Rally for Life," state senators approved a comprehensive bill that provides several new limits on abortion. The measure received committee approval and a vote on the Senate floor in one day.
The measure, SB 40, requires abortion practitioners to do an ultrasound on a woman seeking an abortion and to offer her the chance to see the image of the unborn child.
The bill also includes a state version of the federal partial-birth abortion ban.
It would ensure the gruesome three-day-long abortion method is prohibited if the federal law is ever reversed and to allow local prosecutors to assist federal authorities in enforcing it.
The legislation also calls for a face to face meeting with an abortion practitioner 24 hours prior to the abortion so there is an assurance that women receive information about abortion’s risks and alternatives beforehand.
According to a Courier-Journal report, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the measure on a unanimous vote. Then, the State Senate approved SB 40 by a bipartisan 32-4 margin with only four Democrats opposing the bill.
The measure now heads to the Kentucky House, where its destiny is less certain because abortion advocates control the House Judiciary Committee or House Health and Welfare Committee, where the bill will likely be assigned.
The Courier-Journal indicated that the head of the committee, Rep. Tom Burch, would not say whether he would allow a vote on the bill, but indicated he would talk with Democratic leaders to get their input.
However, if he had his way, Burch said he would kill the bill because he claimed members of his district don’t want more limits on abortions.
The easy passage of the measure wasn’t without controversy.
The newspaper indicated Sen. David Boswell, a pro-life Democrat, was upset that SB 40’s ultrasound provision was combined with his partial-birth abortion bill, SB 4, into one measure.
He blamed partisan politics and the fact that he is running for Congress on the decision by Senate President David Williams to merge the two bills.
Related web sites:
Kentucky Right to Life – https://www.krla.org
Kentucky legislature – https://www.lrc.ky.gov
