Amendment 2 would void constitutional rights of pregnant women. Vote no.

Make no mistake about it, this Eastern Kentucky Grandma loves babies and loves their mommas too. Love is one reason why I am voting “NO” on Amendment 2. Amendment 2 states, “To protect human life, NOTHING in this Constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.”

“Nothing” is a powerful word. It is absolute, total, and complete. Please notice there is no exception for the life of the mother in Amendment 2.

One of the outcomes of this amendment, if passed, is that it would void all constitutional rights of mothers in Kentucky experiencing a high-risk and possibly lethal pregnancy to have the full spectrum of medical care needed to save their lives. Keep in mind these same mothers may have other babies and children at home to take care of.

According to the American College of Gynecology, some maternal and health conditions that may require an abortion to protect the life or safety of a woman are; water breaking before twenty weeks and infection setting in, placenta abruption, preeclampsia, renal failure, cancer, and cardiac disease. The ACOG made the following statement in 2019, “As physicians, we are focused on protecting the lives of the patients for whom we provide care. Without question, abortion can be medically necessary”.

Before voting on Amendment 2, I would advise all voters to go online and review the state constitution with special emphasis on the Bill of Rights. Take a moment to pause and imagine stated rights arbitrarily disappearing from your life.

These rights are described as inalienable. “Inalienable” is another powerful word that according to the Oxford dictionary means, “unable to be taken away,” Yet here we are.

This comes to the second reason why I am voting “NO” on Amendment 2. I am of the firm belief that inalienable stated rights should not be voted out of the constitution for any reason. Apparently, the framers of the Kentucky State Constitution were of the same mindset as reflected in sections 2 and 26 of the Kentucky Bill of Rights. Section 2 states, “Absolute and arbitrary power over the lives, liberty, and property of freemen exists nowhere in a republic, not even in the largest majority.” Section 26 states, “To guard against transgression of the high powers which we have delegated, We Declare that every thing in this Bill of Rights is excepted out of the general powers of government, and shall forever remain inviolate; and all laws contrary thereto, or contrary to this Constitution, shall be void.”

Please note the word, “inviolate”, it is defined by Oxford as, “that has been, or must be, respected and cannot be attacked or destroyed”.

Some of the stated rights as quoted from the Kentucky Constitution that women experiencing a difficult pregnancy where an abortion may be medically advisable are as follows; “First: The right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties. Second: The right of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of their consciences. Third: The right of seeking and pursuing their safety and happiness. Fourth: The right of freely communicating their thoughts and opinions.”

Currently, KRS 311.772, otherwise known as the Trigger Ban Law, does allow abortion to “prevent the death of a mother or prevent serious, permanent impairment of a life-sustaining organ.” At minimum, the law meets the Kentucky constitutional standards of self-defense and pursuing safety. Without the Kentucky State Constitution for protection, the Kentucky State Legislature could literally make any laws they wanted on abortion. Currently, those in power in the Kentucky House and Senate have shown their hand with no exemptions in the Trigger Ban law for rape, incest, or fetal anomalies incompatible with life.

Women’s bodies are not machines. Pregnancy is not health neutral. When faced with a heartbreaking and devastating pregnancy, in my opinion, medical decisions should be left to the mother, her family, and her medical team, not the voters or the Kentucky state legislators.

The government overreach of Amendment 2 simply goes too far. Please vote “NO”!

Suzanne Barker Griffith is a grandmother, teacher, and community activist in Ashland.