Kentucky House lawmakers approved a state constitutional amendment Thursday to declare that there is no “right” to abort unborn babies in their state.
The “Yes for Life” amendment, state House Bill 91, passed by a strong majority in a 76-20 vote.
If approved by the state Senate and then voters, the Kentucky Constitution would be amended to include the following: “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.”
State Rep. Joseph Fischer, R-Fort Thomas, the lead sponsor of the bill, said the amendment would protect Kentuckians from activist judges “inventing” a right to abort an unborn baby, Spectrum News 1 reports. It already has happened in other states.
“We cannot afford to allow abortion proponents to forum shop our state courts to invent a state constitutional right to an abortion and thereby invalidate our state laws protecting unborn children,” Fischer said.
ACTION ALERT: Contact Kentucky Senate lawmakers to urge them to support the amendment.
Kentucky Right to Life supports the “Yes for Life” amendment and thanked House lawmakers for approving it Thursday.
Prior to the vote, a few Democrat lawmakers spoke out against the legislation, arguing that the government should stay out of a woman’s decision to have an abortion, according to the local news.
“Let me move into your house, tell you how to shape your living room, tell you what to cook in your kitchen, tell you how to raise your kids,” said Rep. Pamela Stevenson, D-Louisville. “That’s what you’re doing to a whole lot of people that don’t think like you.”
The AP reports Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana and Kentucky also slammed state lawmakers for paving “the way for a total ban” on abortions.
The amendment would not immediately ban abortions in Kentucky because of Roe v. Wade, but it would protect the state from pro-abortion court rulings.
In several states, courts have found a so-called “right to abortion” in their state constitutions. The rulings have been used to force taxpayers to fund abortions and restrict the state legislature from passing even minor, common sense abortion restrictions. In 2018, West Virginia voters passed a similar state constitutional amendment after decades of being forced by a court ruling to fund elective abortions with their tax dollars.
Kansas lawmakers also passed a pro-life amendment in January after the Kansas Supreme Court found a so-called “right to abortion” in their state constitution in 2019. The amendment is scheduled for voters’ approval on the August 2022 ballot.
The Iowa legislature is considering a similar pro-life amendment this winter.
ACTION ALERT: Contact Kentucky Senate lawmakers to urge them to support the amendment.
