The #BadBillWatch is alive and kicking and has not been illegally detained
In today’s #BadBillWatch, we’re going to look at the handful of abortion bills that appear with the consistency of sunrise every session. What I find so interesting is that the legislators who always file these kinds of bills don’t seem as interested in legislation that helps children once they’re born and living here in the Commonwealth. At least not this session.
Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Hopkinsville, for example, is trying again with S.B. 9, the “Born Alive” bill. Even though late-term abortion is illegal in this state, this bill would require doctors and nurses to keep babies born alive from an abortion. Westerfield filed the same bill last year, and he told John Cheves, (whose legislative coverage is pretty much one long Bad Bill Watch) that he’d heard many second-hand reports of babies born in botched abortions.
“I can’t say that I’ve seen or heard with my own personal ears accounts of it happening. But you can find stories everywhere,” Westerfield said last year.
He went on to say: “What about the wishes of the child?”
Hey, Senator, I know some first-hand accounts of children who really wish they wouldn’t be beaten, raped, sold into trafficking, starved and neglected in a state that leads the country for child abuse rates. So far, I don’t see much on your bill docket about that.
I don’t see much about that topic from Rep. Joe Fischer either because he’s too busy trying to make abortion unconstitutional in Kentucky, even though it’s still constitutional, for now, in the country. Good to be prepared with H.B. 67, I guess, if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. But still, Rep. Fischer, it seems like there’s a lot of kids, born alive and growing up in a state you represent who could use your help right now.
On this very topic, Rep. Lynn Bechler, R-Marion has a very bad bill, H.B. 142, which outlines the completely unenforceable task of stopping public funds to anyone who even mentions abortion. Like the very bad Senate Bill 1, its vague wording could have huge unintended consequences. For example, does it mean you could defund state medical schools who teach students about all facets of obstetrics and gynecological care? Would it shut down a rape crisis center that tells a pregnant sexual assault victim about her choice for a constitutionally protected procedure?
“This has far reaching implications for anyone in the medical establishment,” said Tamarra Wieder, political director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana and Kentucky. “It’s an infringement on First Amendment and it creeps into so many different levels in the Commonwealth.”
But unlike his colleagues, Bechler is concerned not just about abortion, but about the fate of living children in Kentucky, too. He has filed at least two bills to tighten penalties on childhood sexual abuse. House Bill 47 would remove the statute of limitations on childhood sexual abuse and House Bill 189 would tighten penalties on sexual endangerment of a child. So he, at least, is using his very important position to do some very important work that actually helps children living in this state.
And while we’re complimenting legislators, kudos to Senators Danny Carroll, and Stephen Meredith. After a maelstrom of criticism for Senate Bill 1, which would turn public employees into immigrant hunters, Carroll said he would make some changes. We haven’t seen them yet and the devil is in the details, but at least he listened to the criticism.
As for Sen. Meredith, he said Tuesday he would pull altogether his very very bad Senate Bill 89. As you all know by now, the bill would have allowed police to stop someone for looking suspicious, then arrest them for up to two hours, without any record at all. So it was bad and it was unconstitutional!
Unfortunately, this was not the reason Meredith pulled it; he said Tuesday that he’d been put on trial on social media, citing the Salem Witch Trials. He also maybe challenged radio sports host Matt Jones to a duel which is a story just bizarre enough to be believable. Senator, no one questions your love for the Constitution, just your understanding of it. The whole experience of introducing a bad bill and getting rightfully criticized for it was “painful,” Meredith said, although not probably as painful as detained for no reason without anyone knowing.
Still, small steps. Let’s keep reading the Constitution, everyone, and one of these days, we’ll get this lawmaking thing done right!
This story was originally published January 23, 2020 at 11:33 AM.
