reproductive rights
Beshear highlights abortion rights, unity in Democratic convention speech
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear took the stage at the Democratic National Convention Monday night to speak on abortion rights, how to bridge the divide created by “anger politics” and back Vice President Kamala Harris for president.? In a roughly five-minute speech, the 46-year-old governor repurposed some of the campaign trail for his 2023 re-election campaign […]
‘Perfect storm’ of crises is leading to cutbacks in abortion care, advocates say
Advocates for abortion access say compounding crises of abortion bans, rising economic costs and systemic health care issues are beginning to cause significant funding challenges and potential disruptions to reproductive care of all kinds. Several people described it as a “perfect storm” of problems with the U.S. health care system, particularly post-pandemic, and the rise […]
Is IVF protected in Kentucky? Depends on whom you ask.
None of the bills to explicitly protect in vitro fertilization in Kentucky got a hearing this legislative session, making them effectively dead on arrival.? With roughly eight months until the next session, some lawmakers and attorneys disagree on what protections exist for IVF under current Kentucky law.? Republican Sen. Whitney Westerfield — who has children […]
Criminal immunity for Kentucky medical providers who make mistakes wins unanimous OK
A bill giving Kentucky’s health care providers criminal immunity for medical mistakes — which one lawmaker thinks will enshrine protections for in vitro fertilization by default — is on its way to Gov. Andy Beshear’s desk. House Bill 159, which would decriminalize medical mistakes made by health care providers, passed the House in February unanimously. […]
Democrats walk out to protest ‘alternatives to pregnancy termination’ bill
FRANKFORT — In 2017, Central Kentuckian Heather Hyden faced an “upsetting, awful” and “horrific experience.” The baby she carried — a “very wanted pregnancy” — had a lethal fetal anomaly.? She was induced in February of that year, medical care she would be unable to receive in Kentucky today because of the state’s near-total ban […]
Is in vitro fertilization under threat in Kentucky too? Law matching Alabama’s deepens concerns
For Lisa Sobel and her husband, being able to have a child through in vitro fertilization, or IVF, was “a dream come true.” “For us, this really is a joy,” Sobel, of Louisville, said. “We want for there to be other families to be able to have this joy.” But the recent state Supreme Court […]
Beshear blames ‘extremism’ for threats to reproductive options in Kentucky, Alabama
FRANKFORT — Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday called out Kentucky lawmakers for wasting time on “culture war type issues” and denounced “extremism” that he said is limiting reproductive options. The Democratic governor said he is “100% for” protecting access to in vitro fertilization and called an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are children […]
U.S. Senate Republican blocks legislation protecting in vitro fertilization
WASHINGTON — U.S. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi blocked a bill from passing Wednesday that would have preserved access to in vitro fertilization nationwide, stalling a push by Democrats following a landmark Alabama state Supreme Court decision. The court ruled earlier this month that frozen embryos counted as children under state law and parents […]
Republican files bill to protect in vitro fertilization in Kentucky?
FRANKFORT — Republican Sen. Whitney Westerfield, a staunch opponent of abortion, filed a bill Wednesday aimed at protecting access to in vitro fertilization in Kentucky. Senate Bill 373, which is not yet online, says any facility or “procedure related to in vitro fertilization shall not be liable” for damages “to a patient or patient’s surviving […]
Louisville Democrat files bill to protect assisted reproduction, IVF in Kentucky
FRANKFORT — A Louisville Democrat filed a bill Tuesday aimed at “safeguarding” access to in vitro fertilization in Kentucky. Senate Bill 301, sponsored by Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D-Louisville, would protect from criminal liability medical providers who “engaged in assisted reproduction who meet the professional standard of care,” according to a copy provided to the […]
U.S. Senate Dems to try to push through legislation protecting in vitro fertilization
WASHINGTON — A group of Democrats will attempt to pass a bill in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday protecting access to in vitro fertilization, saying its availability should not be restricted. Their push to quickly approve the health care legislation comes shortly after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that fertilized eggs are […]
Trump comes out against Alabama IVF ruling as national Republicans scramble for distance
Former President Donald Trump called on Alabama lawmakers Friday to “find an immediate solution” to remedy a state Supreme Court ruling that threatened the availability of in vitro fertilization, and national Republicans running for Congress sought to distance themselves from the Alabama decision as well. In a post to his social media site, Truth Social, […]