Both bodies of the state legislature passed a bill preventing abortion of unborn children beginning at 15 weeks but Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed the measure after it landed on his desk.
The bill, known as House Bill 3, is modeled after the Mississippi abortion law that is being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court in what could be a landmark ruling announced early this summer.
In an interview with AFN, state Senator Adrienne Southworth says a main issue with abortion is treating the rights of the unborn as a civil issue and not a criminal issue, when the victim is the fetus.
“In criminal law, it doesn't matter how many weeks you are. If you get killed, you count as a murder,” she says. “In civil law, it depends on how many weeks along you are whether you have rights or not.”
Southworth, who represents District 7 in the state, is serving her first term in the state Senate.
Asked if she believes the legislature can override the veto, the state senator predicts it will happen.
“This is a big issue that it's hard to not be for it,” she says. “It makes a lot of sense and we had no problem passing it in the first place.”
The bill passed the state Senate 31-6 and then went to the state House where it passed 74-19.
