On Tuesday, November 8, the fine citizens of Kentucky will go to the polls to vote just as they do every election year. This year, however, will not be like former years. At the end of the ballot, voters will be asked to vote simply “yes” or “no” to Amendment #2. I want to urge citizens of Kentucky to show up on November 8 and vote “yes” to Amendment #2.
The text of the amendment reads, “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.”
Kentuckians should enthusiastically vote “yes” on this amendment for three reasons. First, this amendment will save lives. Anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock for the past fifty years is probably familiar with the arguments on each side of the abortion debate. Since the fateful decision in Roe vs. Wade was handed down in 1973, conferring a nationwide constitutional right to an abortion, nearly 64 million unborn babies have been aborted. The United States has a population of 332 million. If 20% of the current United States population died, that would equal the number of innocent lives terminated by abortion since 1973.
Those lives, however, are not statistics. Each one of those 64 million lives was a unique human being created in the image of God. Each one of those 64 million lives had his or her fate decided by the choice of another before he or she ever had a voice with which to speak for himself or herself. Abortion has been around for so long and debated so much that I fear sometimes we’ve lost the humanity of those lives. 64 million unique smiles never seen. 64 million voices never heard. 64 million heartbeats stopped. 64 million kids who never got to experience a first day of school or a first scored basket or a first date. 64 million wedding days never celebrated. 64 million individuals who never got the chance to hear someone else call them “mommy” or “daddy.” Kentucky, we have 64 million reasons to vote “yes” on November 8th.
Second, vote “yes” because Kentuckians have already decided against abortion. When the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the Dobbs decision earlier this year, the Kentucky state legislature had already passed a “trigger law” in 2019 that would ban abortions in the state in anticipation of Roe vs. Wade being overturned. In March 2019, the Kentucky General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on the Human Life Protection Act, which states that no person in Kentucky may knowingly cause or aid in “the termination of the life of an unborn human being.”
The Human Life Protection Law passed because the legislators representing Kentucky citizens voted overwhelmingly in support of it. It passed because Kentuckians believe in the sanctify of human life. It passed because our state still believes that vulnerable human beings deserve our protection. Amendment #2 is not a new law. Amendment #2 is needed to prevent activist judges from overriding the will of the people of Kentucky. Rogue judges must not be allowed to decree their own personal ethics over legislated laws. Our Constitution states that no branch of government “shall exercise any power properly belonging to either of the others.” The task of legislation does not belong to judges. The people have already spoken through our representatives.
Third, vote “yes” because neither the United States Constitution nor the Kentucky Constitution grants the right to abortion. The Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade because the justices wisely realized that no right to abortion ever existed in the Constitution. The same can be said for Kentucky’s Constitution. Amendment #2 is designed to prevent judges from “finding” a right that is not there.
Our Constitution does, however, specify that all men have “the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties.” Unborn children have the right to live. It’s incomprehensible how that right could ever be questioned. I pray that our state will vote on November 8th to ensure that it’s never questioned again. Will you join me by voting “yes” on Amendment #2? Will you lend your voice in standing up for the voiceless?
There is a lot of misinformation going around about Amendment #2. I received a text message this week that said, “Extreme Amendment 2 will lead to a total ban on abortion in KY with no exceptions.” This amendment will not change anything about Kentucky abortion laws. Under current Kentucky law, abortion is legal under certain medical situations. This amendment will not change that. It will, however, ensure that future changes to Kentucky abortion laws be decided by the people.