Kentucky Governor Vetoes Dangerous Anti-Abortion Bill

Law would remove oversight of abortion providers from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and place it under Attorney General

Frankfort, KY— Today, Governor Andy Beshear vetoed a dangerous anti-abortion bill intended to restrict access to abortion care across the commonwealth. House Bill 2 would take decisions away from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services—but only regarding abortion—and place them under the direction of Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who is openly hostile to abortion rights.

Statement from Tamarra Wieder, State Director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana and Kentucky (PPAIK):

“The Kentucky General Assembly will stop at nothing, even in a deadly pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 people, to restrict abortion access. Make no mistake, the goal is to restrict abortion access through back channels by shifting oversight of abortion providers to an office with no business overseeing health care. Policies that punish pregnant people and providers over basic reproductive health care will not stand with Kentuckians. The majority of the U.S. supports access to safe, legal abortion. Gov. Beshear’s veto of HB 2 upholds the beliefs of the majority of the commonwealth.

“This week marks the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and the actions of Gov. Beshear show just how important it is for health care experts to oversee health care services in Kentucky. It also sends a message to other elected leaders in conservative-led states: we must stand strong and reaffirm our constitutionally protected right to abortion.

“The inflammatory and stigmatizing anti-abortion rhetoric repeatedly introduced by this supermajority must be met with conviction and denounced—the anti-abortion bills sent to the governor have nothing to do with the health and wellbeing of Kentuckians and everything to do with politicizing public health. The anti-science, anti-mask, anti-fact actions of the General Assembly and their supporters must stop, and we expect the strength of our governor to put these antics to rest.”

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Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana and Kentucky (PPAIK) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to ensuring access to affordable reproductive health care, including abortion, by educating residents and policy-makers about issues affecting Hoosiers and Kentuckians. PPAIK lobbies and educates to advance Planned Parenthood’s mission and engages in limited electoral activities.