UPDATE: State lawmakers pass 15-week abortion ban

The move is a preemptive step for tougher restrictions tied to a looming U.S. Supreme Court decision on abortion rights

Update from 10:03 p.m. on March 29, 2022:

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – Kentucky lawmakers voted Tuesday night to ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, taking a preemptive step for tougher restrictions that’s tied to a looming U.S. Supreme Court decision on abortion rights.

The measure sparked protests Tuesday from abortion-rights advocates. They chanted “abortion is health care” before being cleared from the Senate gallery.

The bill won final passage hours later in the House.

The 15-week ban was inserted into a bill that would regulate the dispensing of abortion pills.

The measure goes to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.

The 15-week ban is modeled after a Mississippi law under review by the Supreme Court.

Original story below from 5:53 p.m. on March 29, 2022:

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – The Humanity in Healthcare Act, or House Bill 3, passed through the state Senate Tuesday.

Earlier Tuesday, a pro-choice rally was held at the state Capitol against the far-reaching bill, which would impose more layers of regulation on abortion in Kentucky. The rally focused, in part, on a portion of the bill that would put new restrictions on medication used to terminate an early pregnancy.

“Your agency is being taken away. You have lost the autonomy to make the decisions that are right for you and your family,” said Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates Kentucky State Director Tamarra Wieder.

In December, the FDA approved abortion pills by mail, however, the bill would restrict access to the medication in Kentucky without being seen in-person by a doctor.

According to pro-life advocates, taking the pills without a doctor’s examination isn’t safe.

“Not only am I pro-life but I’m also pro-women’s health. And as a former women’s health nurse, this isn’t just good medicine. We want to make sure that whether we are advocating for abortion or against abortion, that’s not the issue here. Where abortion is legal, we want to make sure there’s no homegrown abortions,” said Kentucky Right to Life Executive Director Addia Wuschner.

However, abortion advocates note the bill’s sponsors are not medical experts, and argue some women in Kentucky, especially in rural areas, don’t have access to an OBGYN or other reproductive care close to them, and that the bill would restrict their access to abortions.

“We have deserts in our communities here where they cannot access reproductive healthcare, and those numbers are only going to increase as we drive providers out of the state because they can’t give comprehensive care,” said Wieder.

Bill supporters say the changes aren’t taking away a woman’s choice, it’s just making the choice safer.

“It’s not limiting choice. She still has a choice to obtain an abortion if it’s early in the pregnancy. It can be done through the pill regiment. It’s assuring her that following a meeting with her a physician and a follow up is part of her health,” said Wuschner.

The bill passed through the Senate in a 29-0 vote.