On Wednesday, the Kentucky Senate’s Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee voted 9-1 for a bill requiring women to meet in person with their abortionist the day before obtaining an abortion to receive state-required informed consent information rather than discussing it over the phone.
State Senator Julie Raque Adams said that the legislation “does much to move not only the healthcare but the wellness of women out of the restricted column and into priority status which we so rightly deserve.”
Abortion supporters have objected that because there are only two abortion facilities in Kentucky, the requirement would force significantly higher travel expenses on women. But Kentucky Right to Life assistant director Michael Janocik noted that the bill allows abortionists to delegate the informed-consent meeting to a local health provider in the woman’s area, so long as the explanation is in-person.
The bill has easily cleared the state Senate in the past yet died in the House. But lawmakers on both sides, Democrat House Speaker Greg Stumbo and Republican Senate President Robert Stivers, both say they perceive a greater number of supporters this year. The Kentucky House has 46 Republicans and 50 Democrats, and the difference could be made up by special elections in March to fill an additional four vacancies.
