WASHINGTON — It was just over a year ago that Hadley Duvall of Owensboro shared her story of surviving rape by her stepfather and becoming pregnant at 12, in a campaign ad supporting Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky.

“To tell a 12-year-old girl she must have the baby of her stepfather who raped her is unthinkable,” she said in the video.

What You Need To Know

  • Abortion rights advocate Hadley Duvall has traveled the country in support of Vice President Kamala Harris

  • She appeared in a campaign ad for Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., last year 

  • Duvall has shared her story of surviving rape by her stepfather and becoming pregnant at the age of 12  

  • She spoke at the Democratic National Convention this summer 

Kentucky’s near-total abortion ban, which has no exceptions for rape or incest, went into effect after the 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade.

Beshear’s opponent, Republican Daniel Cameron, who was Kentucky’s attorney general at the time, defended the ban. 

Former President Donald Trump appointed three U.S. Supreme Court justices who helped to end the right to an abortion.

“That kind of just rose it to the surface and not really for me, but for the other young girls who were now forced to carry their rapist’s baby, and that was unimaginable to me,” Duvall told Spectrum News in an interview Thursday.

Now, a recent graduate of Midway University, the 22-year-old abortion rights advocate has traveled the country to support Vice President Kamala Harris.

“You’re used to a lot of politicians telling you to go out and vote, but as somebody who is quite literally witnessing women lose their reproductive freedom because Donald Trump took it right from us, vote for us,” Duvall said.

Duvall has appeared in a campaign ad attacking Trump and moved some in the crowd to tears sharing her story at the Democratic National Convention.

This year, State Rep. Ken Fleming, R-Louisville, filed a bill to add exceptions, including rape and incest, to Kentucky’s abortion ban.

He said in a statement Friday that he did so based on conversations with constituents and others.

“An important aspect to this is that we need to strengthen mental health policies that supports the victims and their families,” Fleming said.

Fleming’s bill did not move forward in the Republican-controlled Legislature, nor did an exceptions bill from State Sen. David Yates, D-Louisville, called “Hadley’s Law.”

“They all told me very loud and clear that I was not enough,” Duvall said. “I hope that maybe the next bill will be enough for them.”

In a statement Friday, the Trump campaign told Spectrum News, “President Trump has long been consistent in supporting the rights of states to make decisions on abortion and has been very clear that he will NOT sign a federal ban when he is back in the White House.”

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