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Kentucky's Ban on Abortion

Renee Shaw and guests discuss Kentucky's ban on abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade. Guests: Tamarra Wieder, Kentucky state director of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates; Addia Wuchner executive director of Kentucky Right to Life; Rep. Nancy Tate (R- Brandenburg); and Rep. Josie Raymond (D- Louisville).
Season 29 Episode 23 Length 56:34 Premiere: 06/27/22

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Kentucky Tonight

KET’s Kentucky Tonight, hosted by Renee Shaw, brings together an expert panel for in-depth analysis on major issues facing the Commonwealth.

This weekly program features comprehensive discussions with lawmakers, stakeholders and policy leaders that are moderated by award-winning journalist Renee Shaw. Often aired live, viewers are encouraged to participate by submitting questions real-time via email, Twitter or KET’s online form.
For nearly three decades, Kentucky Tonight has been a source for complete and balanced coverage of the most urgent and important public affairs developments in the state of Kentucky.

Viewers with questions and comments may send e-mail to kytonight@ket.org or use the contact form. All messages should include first and last name and town or county. The phone number for viewer calls during the program is 1-800-494-7605.

After broadcast, Kentucky Tonight programs are available on KET.org and via podcast (iTunes or Android). Files are normally accessible within 24 hours after the television broadcast.

Kentucky Tonight was awarded a 1997 regional Emmy by the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The series was also honored with a 1995 regional Emmy nomination.

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Renee Shaw is Moderator and Director of Public Affairs for Kentucky Educational Television, currently serving as host of KET’s Kentucky Tonight, Connections, election coverage, Legislative Update and KET Forums.

Since joining KET in 1997, Shaw has produced numerous KET public affairs series and specials, including KET’s nationally recognized legislative coverage. Under her leadership, KET has expanded its portfolio of public affairs content to include Kentucky Supreme Court coverage, town hall-style forums, and multi-platform program initiatives around issues such as opioid addiction and youth mental health.  

As an award-winning journalist, Shaw has earned top awards from the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, earning two regional Emmy awards, and an award from the Kentucky Associated Press for political coverage of the state legislature. She was inducted into the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame in 2017. She has been honored by the AKA Beta Gamma Omega Chapter with a Coretta Scott King Spirit of Ivy Award; earned the state media award from the Kentucky Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 2019; named a Charles W. Anderson Laureate by the Kentucky Personnel Cabinet in 2019 honoring her significant contributions in addressing socio-economic issues; earned the Anthony Lewis Media Award from the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy for her work on criminal justice reform in 2014; and, in 2015, received the Green Dot Award for her coverage of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking.  

In 2018, KET earned a national media award from Mental Health America for its multi-dimensional content on the opioid epidemic shepherded by Shaw. That same year, she co-produced and moderated a six-part series on youth mental health that was awarded first place in educational content by NETA, the National Educational Telecommunications Association. In 2019, Shaw was recognized by The Kentucky Gazette as one of the 50 most notable women in Kentucky politics and government. In addition, Renee was awarded the Charles W. Anderson Laureate Award by the Kentucky Personnel Cabinet which recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions in addressing socio-economic issues.

Host Renee Shaw smiling in a green dress with a KET set behind her.

Panelists Discuss Kentucky's Trigger Laws Outlawing Abortion After a Monumental U.S. Supreme Court Decision

With the recent United States Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the national debate over abortion rights enters a new phase of legal and legislative battles.

In Kentucky, the federal court ruling immediately triggered a state law passed in 2019 to outlaw the procedure in the commonwealth. But then a Jefferson Circuit Court judge issued a temporary restraining order on June 30 to block that ban and another law passed by the Kentucky General Assembly that bars abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The court order came after Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, and abortion provider EMW Women’s Surgical Center challenged both laws.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron has appealed the temporary stay, but for now abortions can continue in Kentucky.

Still the 5-4 decision among U.S. Supreme Court justices represents the culmination of decades of work by anti-abortion activists.

“They’re actually looking at the constitution and they’re saying what language is in the constitution and they’re not expanding that, and they’re not treating the constitution like it’s a living breathing document that needs to be modified for every social issue,” says state Rep. Nancy Tate (R- Brandenburg), who sponsored an omnibus abortion bill [LINK: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/22rs/hb3.html] in the 2022 legislative session.

Pro-choice advocates decried the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization as shattering nearly 50 years of precedent and denying women access to what they describe is a vital medical procedure.

State Rep. Josie Raymond says the ruling evoked a combination of grief and anger in her. She says it’s unfair that evangelical Christians are forcing their beliefs on people of other religious faiths as well as non-believers. The Louisville Democrat says she’s also frustrated that the state’s GOP supermajority is forcing women to bear children without providing proper support for families.

“We’re not taking care of the kids that we’ve got,” says Raymond. “We’ve ended women’s choices without creating the environment necessary for everyone to be able to parent one child, or a second, or a third, or a fourth.”

Without readily accessible abortions, Raymond says maternal mortality will increase, more pregnant women will be murdered, more women will exit the workforce, and child abuse and child poverty will worsen.

Kentucky already faces high maternal mortality, which is double the national average, according to Tamarra Wieder, Kentucky state director of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates. She says without abortion services, maternal mortality could increase 21 percent overall and as much as 33 percent for Black women.

A significant factor in those percentages, says Weider, is a shortage of medical care. She says 73 of the state’s 120 counties don’t have a practicing OB-GYN.

Kentucky Right to Life Executive Director Addia Wuchner, who is a former state representative, says lawmakers have worked hard in recent years to improve maternal and child welfare. She points to legislation to expand health care benefits for mothers and children, improve the state’s foster care and adoption system, increase education spending, and expand domestic violence prevention efforts. Wuchner argues that deficits in maternal welfare, a shortage of health care workers, and the challenges of raising children still don’t justify allowing abortions to continue.

“Since the [Roe v. Wade] decision in 1973, over 296,000 babies in Kentucky have been lost,” says Wuchner. “It is a procedure that takes a life of another human being.”

Concerns that Bans Don’t Include Exemptions

The state’s trigger law, known as the Human Life Protection Act [LINK: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/19rs/hb148.html], passed the 2019 General Assembly with bipartisan support. The only exception it allows is when an abortion is needed to protect the life of the mother.

That angered pro-choice activists who also wanted an exemption for victims of rape or incest. But none of the state’s current legislation provides such an exception.

“We know that Kentuckians want exemptions for rape, for incest, for fetal anomalies, and stronger protections for life of the mother,” says Wieder. “This is not the will of Kentuckians. It’s forced by the legislators in Frankfort.”

But Tate argues that all life is precious, no matter how it is conceived.

“I am a firm advocate for life from conception to natural death, regardless of the circumstances,” says Tate. “These children deserve life and they deserve our love and support.”

Even the provision that allows abortions to protect the life of the mother is not without controversy. Weider contends it is too narrowly written, will endanger women seeking care in small, understaffed hospitals, and could make doctors criminally liable for conducting an abortion that they feel is medically necessary.

Backers of the legislation argue all of that these circumstances are rare. Rape and incest cases account for only about 1 percent of abortions, according to Tate. She says there’s only been one occurrence of an abortion being done in Kentucky to protect the life of the mother.

With the prospect of potential prosecution facing health care providers, Weider fears women could die while waiting for hospital staff to determine the appropriate course of action in an emergency.

“When there are abortion bans, maternal mortality increases,” says Weider. “You are not creating a safe environment for people and women to flourish in Kentucky.”

Wuchner says even if an expectant mother faces a health crisis like a cancer diagnosis, or medical emergency like a car accident, doctors will know that there are two lives at stake: the mother and the unborn child.

“Any doctor is going to have a neonatology team right there at that time making that decision, and they’re going to make an effort to save both,” says Wuchner. “It’s a best medical judgement.”

Some companies have already pledged to help employees who want an abortion but live in a state that does not allow them. Assistance could include paid time off from work to go to another state where abortions are available, and funds to cover travel expenses.

Wuchner argues those companies are simply looking for ways to keep employees on the job and limit health insurance costs as well as maternal leave expenses for new and expectant mothers.

“Sometimes it’s in the best interest to [offer] to pay that woman, sadly, to go out of state to have an abortion,” says Wuchner.

Potential Policy Changes for the Future

News reports indicate that lawmakers in some states are already considering options to make it illegal for women to cross state lines to seek the procedure. Tate says Kentucky legislators will consider that issue, but she’s uncertain as to whether they would pursue such a policy.

If that were to happen in Kentucky, Raymond says it would harm economic development efforts.

“The legislature is trying to do two things: it’s trying to have really extreme social policies that are going to scare these companies away while at the same [time] trying to attract these companies,” says Raymond. “It’s not going to be successful.”

Weider says she hopes the temporary court order to block the state ban on abortions will last at least through November, when Kentuckians will vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that would codify that there is no right to an abortion in the commonwealth. She contends Kentucky voters are not as extreme on abortion and bodily autonomy as legislators and will therefore reject that amendment. Weider hopes that will buy time for more productive policy discussions on the issue.

“Then I really hope we can have a better conversation about what Kentuckians really want when it comes to reproductive health care because it is not what’s coming out of Frankfort,” says Weider.

Despite their differences, Wuchner hopes that people on both sides of the abortion debate can work together to find more ways to support expectant mothers and families in the state.

“If we care about women and we care about the children in this state, I challenge everyone to get your heads together and let’s talk about where we can make a difference for the women and the children,” says Wuchner.

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Season 29 Episodes

Medical Marijuana Legalization in Kentucky

S29 E44 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 01/30/23

Kentucky's Juvenile Justice System

S29 E43 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 01/23/23

Legislation Introduced in the 2023 General Assembly

S29 E42 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 01/09/23

2023 Legislative Session Preview

S29 E41 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 12/19/22

National Politics

S29 E40 Length 56:34 Premiere Date 12/05/22

2022 Election Preview

S29 E39 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 11/07/22

Inflation and the Economy

S29 E38 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 10/31/22

Constitutional Amendments 1 & 2

S29 E37 Length 56:36 Premiere Date 10/24/22

Candidates for U.S. House of Representatives: Part Two

S29 E36 Length 56:35 Premiere Date 10/17/22

Candidates for U.S. House of Representatives: Part One

S29 E35 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 10/10/22

U.S. Senate Candidate Charles Booker

S29 E34 Length 26:31 Premiere Date 10/03/22

Discussing Flooding's Impact on Eastern Kentucky Schools

S29 E33 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 09/26/22

COVID-19, Monkeypox and Influenza

S29 E32 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 09/12/22

Eastern Kentucky Flooding and Legislative Relief Package

S29 E31 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 08/29/22

Child Care in Kentucky

S29 E30 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 08/22/22

School Safety: Debating State Policies

S29 E29 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 08/01/22

Work, Wages and Welfare

S29 E28 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 07/25/22

50 Years of Title IX

S29 E26 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 07/18/22

The Impact of U.S. Supreme Court Decisions

S29 E24 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 07/11/22

Kentucky's Ban on Abortion

S29 E23 Length 56:34 Premiere Date 06/27/22

Discussing New Developments in the COVID-19 Pandemic

S29 E22 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 06/20/22

Reducing Opioid Addiction Rates in Kentucky

S29 E21 Length 56:36 Premiere Date 06/13/22

Mass Shootings and Gun Laws

S29 E20 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 06/06/22

Discussing the Rise in Gas Prices and Inflation

S29 E19 Length 56:34 Premiere Date 05/23/22

Previewing Kentucky's 2022 Primary Election

S29 E18 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 05/16/22

Third Congressional District Democratic Primary

S29 E17 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 05/09/22

Candidates in the 2022 Primary Election: Part Two

S29 E16 Length 58:33 Premiere Date 05/02/22

Candidates in the 2022 Primary Election: Part One

S29 E15 Length 58:40 Premiere Date 04/25/22

Lawmakers Review the 2022 General Assembly

S29 E14 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 04/18/22

Recap of the 2022 Legislative Session

S29 E13 Length 56:35 Premiere Date 04/11/22

Public Assistance and Jobless Benefits

S29 E12 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 03/28/22

Abortion Legislation in the 2022 General Assembly

S29 E11 Length 56:34 Premiere Date 03/21/22

State Budget, Taxes, and Other 2022 General Assembly Topics

S29 E10 Length 57:42 Premiere Date 03/14/22

Critical Race Theory and Approaches to Teaching History

S29 E9 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 02/28/22

2022 Legislative Session at the Midpoint

S29 E8 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 02/21/22

Name, Image and Likeness Compensation

S29 E7 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 02/14/22

Child Abuse and Neglect

S29 E6 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 02/07/22

Debating School Choice in Kentucky

S29 E5 Length 56:35 Premiere Date 02/01/22

Debating Provisions in the Proposed State Budget

S29 E4 Length 56:34 Premiere Date 01/24/22

Redistricting, State Budget, and Other Legislative Issues

S29 E3 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 01/10/22

Discussing Legislative Goals for the 2022 General Assembly

S29 E2 Length 56:33 Premiere Date 01/03/22

Previewing the 2022 Kentucky General Assembly

S29 E1 Length 56:35 Premiere Date 12/06/21

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