Saying it is imperative Kentucky restore abortion access, as the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision intended, state Representative Lindsey Burke announced she is filing legislation designed to achieve that goal. Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates of Kentucky and other allies also spoke in favor of the bill.
"My legislation essentially unwinds the clock, so abortion access in Kentucky is back to where it once was and where it should be again," said Rep. Burke of Lexington. "Kentucky voters made it clear in November that they support abortion rights. While we cannot change the tragic things countless people have endured over the years, my bill would make sure that it doesn't happen again."
"The last eight years have been a coordinated attack on abortion providers and care, not just here in the commonwealth of Kentucky, but across the country. Despite having basically no access to abortion care now, lawmakers continue to file more anti-abortion bills like Senate Bill 300," said Tamarra Wieder, Kentucky State Director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates. "These attacks will not stop. And it's our most vulnerable communities that are hit hardest.
"Banning abortion does not stop people from needing abortions, it just means that abortion care – fundamental health care – becomes only accessible to people with the means to travel for access," Wieder added. "These harmful effects stretch beyond abortion care, making it more difficult for people to get lifesaving medical care for miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and other pregnancy-related complications. Abortion is health care; it isn't a partisan issue. Kentuckians across the political spectrum voted no on Amendment 2. It's time this legislature listened. Repeal the bans. Help heal the commonwealth."
"I am proud to serve as primary co-sponsor of my friend and colleague's legislation, because all Kentuckians deserve unfettered access to reproductive healthcare," said state Rep. Lamin Swann of Lexington. "We shouldn't wait another day to pass this absolutely critical bill."
Rep. Burke, who is due to give birth in April, said her pregnancy "has shown me in heartbreaking, and strikingly clear, ways what is at stake when pregnant people cannot access appropriate medical care in Kentucky. I have heard from so many others who feel the same way and who have been directly impacted by what has happened in our country, especially since Roe was overturned last summer. Reproductive health care should not be a political football; this bill restores access to healthcare for people who need it."
