FRANKFORT, Ky. — A bill that would ask voters whether to amend the Kentucky constitution as it relates to abortion passed the House Thursday, over the objections of several Democratic lawmakers.


What You Need To Know

  • A bill that would ask voters whether to amend the Kentucky constitution as it relates to abortion passed the House Thursday

  • HB 91 proposes amending the constitution to read, “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.”

  • Several Democratic lawmakers objected to the bill
  • The bill passed by a vote of 76 to 20

House Bill 91 proposes amending the constitution to read, “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.”

Rep. Pamela Stevenson (D-Louisville) said it was not up to lawmakers to dictate what is right to a woman and doctor. 

"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," she said. "That’s what you’re doing to a whole lot of people that don’t think like you."

Rep. Rachel Roberts (D-Newport) said she hadn’t intended to speak, but wanted to share her story. 

"I was raped," Roberts told her colleagues. "I was beaten to within an inch of my life. By the grace of God, I did not end up pregnant. I was a 14-year-old girl...I don’t know if I could have withstood the burden of carrying a rapist’s baby." 

Rep. Joseph Fischer (R-Ft. Thomas) said he believes the people of Kentucky want to weigh in on the issue, and the current state constitution does not include an explicit right to abortion. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, 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.

Rep. Bill Wesley (R-Ravenna) told his colleagues that "all lives matter, even the little babies."

“I’m here to support life," Wesley said. "I’m 100% pro-life and if it was up to me, I’d shut every abortion clinic down.”

The bill passed by a vote of 76 to 20. 

In an online post following the vote, the ACLU of Kentucky stated that the bill "would pave the way for a total ban if Roe v. Wade is weakened."