Training sessions mobilize pro-life Kentuckians to vote 'yes for life' on Constitutional Amendment 2
Aug. 20—LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KT) — Training sessions held across the commonwealth this summer have equipped Kentucky voters to advocate and rally support for Constitutional Amendment 2, a pro-life measure that will be on the ballot on Nov. 8.
The amendment, if ratified this fall, would create a new section in the Kentucky constitution that 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."
The Yes for Life Alliance, a coalition of pro-life organizations, organized the trainings. The alliance is comprised of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, the Kentucky Right to Life Association, the Family Foundation of Kentucky, the Catholic Conference of Kentucky, Sisters for Life and the Commonwealth Policy Center.
"This amendment would ensure that our lawmakers, and therefore us through voting for our elected representatives in Frankfort, continue to have the ability to be the ones to make decisions on these issues," said David Walls, executive director of The Family Foundation.
Addia Wuchner, executive director of Kentucky Right to Life, encouraged attendees to be actively involved in spreading the word about Constitutional Amendment 2.
"We need you to be a voice for this amendment in your community," Wuchner said.
Undergirding the need for the amendment is the current legal battle over Kentucky's trigger abortion ban, Walls added.
When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, abortion was immediately banned in the commonwealth—until a circuit court judge blocked the law. The state's abortion providers challenged the ban on the basis that the state's constitutional right to privacy leaves room for the legality of elective abortion. The constitutionality of abortion in Kentucky is still being considered in court, but Constitutional Amendment 2 would end the debate.
Walls also pointed to the pro-life constitutional amendment that failed in Kansas earlier this month as a sobering reminder of the work Kentuckians will have to put in before November 8. "We cannot just assume that this is going to pass," he said.
A campaign opposing Constitutional Amendment 2 is gaining traction among pro-abortion Kentuckians and, like the Yes for Life Alliance, Protect Kentucky Access has offered training sessions over the summer in an effort to mobilize voters to reject the pro-life measure.
On its website, Protect Kentucky Access asserts that the amendment would outlaw abortion in all cases, costing Kentuckians rights and freedom.
"(The amendment) does not ban abortion," Wuchner said. "It does not have anything to do with rape, incest, miscarriage or any of the misnomers or misinformation that has been put out there. Those are scaremongering (tactics), and they're doing a great job right now."
Wuchner said that the campaign would soon address those objections.
The Yes for Life Alliance recommended several action steps Kentuckians can take as November nears:
— Encourage friends and family members to pledge their vote at yesforlifeky.com
— Download the advocacy toolkit
— Donate to the campaign
— Identify local publications and write letters to the editor encouraging constituents to support the amendment
— Volunteer to pass out flyers at community events
— Host a post card writing campaign in September
— Purchase yard signs when the E-Commerce Store goes live at yesforlifeky.com
— Post regularly on social media
— Email info@yesforlifeky.com if you or your organization need branded materials designed, such as billboards or social media posts
Information about future events, including an October rally in Frankfort, will be released in the coming weeks. Until then, you can learn more about Constitutional Amendment 2 and stay up to date on campaign efforts at yesforlifeky.com.
