The Kentucky House approved pro-life legislation Tuesday to confirm that there is no “right to abortion” in their state constitution.
Sponsored by state Rep. Joseph Fischer, R-Fort Thomas, House Bill 67 passed 71-21 with bipartisan support, WKYU Radio reports. The legislation will help to ensure that voters and the lawmakers whom they elect will be the ones who make decisions about abortion, not biased judges.
“Let’s not allow our state courts to invent a new right to an abortion and to invalidate our state laws protecting unborn children that have already been upheld in federal court,” Fischer told lawmakers Tuesday prior to the vote.
If the amendment passes the state Senate, it will go on the November ballot for voters’ approval. The following language would be added to the Kentucky Constitution: “To protect human life, nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.”
Fisher said the so-called “right” to kill an unborn child is a “false legal construct,” and states need to take action to protect babies’ lives, according to WTVQ 36.
However, several Democrat lawmakers accused pro-life lawmakers of just wanting to control women’s bodies.
“Here we go with another arrogant, patronizing piece of legislation to basically say that our women can’t think for themselves, that we want to insert ourselves into your personal private medical decision,” said Rep. Mary Lou Marizan, D-Louisville, according to local news reports.
Other Democrat female lawmakers supported the legislation.
WKYU reports state Rep. Terri Branham Clark, D-Catlettsburg, expressed reservations about the amendment because it does not include exceptions for rape, incest or risks to the mother’s life. She voted for the amendment anyway because she believes unborn babies should be protected.
Responding to her concerns, Republican lawmakers said the amendment would allow them to pass laws with those exceptions.
West Virginia voters passed a similar state constitutional amendment in 2018 after decades of being forced by a court ruling to fund elective abortions with taxpayer dollars. The amendment also will make it easier for state lawmakers to pass pro-life laws in the future.
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Such amendments are important because the abortion industry often turns to the courts to overturn pro-life laws. Some judges, including the Iowa Supreme Court in 2018, have found a so-called “right to abortion” in their state constitutions, and these decisions have been used to force taxpayers to fund abortions and restrict state legislatures from passing even minor, common sense abortion restrictions.
In February, the Iowa Senate passed a similar constitutional amendment to make it clear there is no right to abort an unborn baby or force taxpayers to fund their deaths. Louisiana voters will have a similar opportunity to add a pro-life amendment to their constitution in November.
Kansas lawmakers also proposed a state constitutional amendment this year, but it recently stalled in the state House.
ACTION ALERT: Contact the Kentucky Senate to support this pro-life legislation.
