FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – Members of the General Assembly’s Pro-Life Caucus rallied at the State Capitol Rotunda on four bills that have been or will be introduced for consideration by the 2019 General Assembly.
Rep. Tim Moore, R-Elizabethtown, who serves as chair of the caucus, said their purpose is simple: “We have dedicated ourselves to coordinating our efforts and to unifying in purpose to defend life, life that is most innocent.”
Moore says it was 46 years ago this month that the Roe v. Wade case decision, which legalized abortion in the country, was handed down.
“The United States Supreme Court established a policy that has divided our country and set us on a course that does not respect life, and we are reaping the whirlwind,” Moore said.
One piece of legislation that will be introduced in the House would prohibit selective and discriminatory abortions, based on race, gender and perceived disability, such as Down Syndrome.
Another House bill would establish a mechanism to ban all abortions in Kentucky as soon as Roe v. Wade is overturned.
One bill before the Senate would ban all abortions after the point in which a fetal heartbeat is detected. That bill will be heard in committee by the end of the month so that it can come to the Senate floor in February.
Another would require the monthly reporting to the Vital Statistics Branch when abortion-inducing drugs such as RU-486 are dispensed.
Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, said they are not fazed by adverse decisions courts have handed down.
“We are the policymakers,” he said. “We reflect the majority opinion in our districts and believe this is a supermajority pro-life state so we should continue to push the envelope on these pro-life issues.”
Despite the legal costs to the state, Thayer said: “I don’t think you can put a price on the life of the unborn. I don’t care what the judicial branch in Kentucky does anymore. They’ve proven themselves to be activist judges who I think want to exert their power to be more than a co-equal branch of government. They’ve tipped their hands to their philosophy.”
Lawmakers will be in session through Friday, then recess until Feb. 5, for the remainder of the 30-day session, which ends March 31.