Annual Rally for Life held in Capitol Rotunda, a pro-life legislators, others pledge to ‘continue the fight’

By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today

An enthusiastic crowd gathered at the State Capitol Rotunda this week to mark the annual Rally for Life and House Speaker David Osborne reminded those in attendance they were just a small part of a larger ongoing effort.

“Across the great state, men and women stand together as a voice for those without any say in their destiny because we believe that every life is sacred, and every child is precious,” said the Prospect Republican. “I’m honored to preside over the most pro-life legislature in the history of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”

Osborne said they will “continue the fight for those that can’t fight for themselves” on several issues.

“We’ve sent a record number of pro-life bills to the Governor’s desk and, with your help, we will continue to be the champions of those issues,” he said. “We’ve also championed adoption, foster care and child welfare.”

Attorney General Daniel Cameron told the gathering, “It has been said that the true measure of society is whether the strong protect the weak. I am proud to stand here before you today and say that I will be an attorney general that will always stand up for the unborn.

“As your attorney general and the chief law enforcement officer for the commonwealth, it is my responsibility to defend Kentucky when our laws come under attack,” he said. “You have my undying commitment that I will always stand strong in defense of the pro-life laws that are passed by the General Assembly and I will devote every necessary resource in my office to protecting the unborn.”

Secretary of State Michael Adams says he was pro-life before he could vote and that as a teenager would perform odd jobs and donate the proceeds to National Right to Life in Washington, D.C.

“Those were my values when I was 15, those are my values today when I am 43, and those will always be my values.”

He noted that even though Gov. Matt Bevin did not win re-election, he noticed something else election night.

“The five of us in down-ticket offices won by sizable majorities, all of us pro-life,” he said. “And if you add up all the votes by Gov. Bevin and the Libertarian candidate who was pro-life, it’s an easy majority there, too. The majority of voters in this state are pro-life. It’s not just the leadership, it’s the people.”

More pro-life legislation is before the General Assembly this year, including a proposed Constitutional amendment from Rep. Joseph Fischer that simply 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,” and a so-called “born alive” bill.

While a handful of bills are being proposed by Republicans to limit abortion access, the Beshear administration has given the OK for Planned Parenthood to apply for a license to provide abortions at its Louisville clinic. EMW Women’s Surgical Center in Louisville is currently the only licensed abortion provider in Kentucky.