Welcoming latest abortion ban, Catholic conference looks to amendment for long-term solution

Jason Hall

Most abortions are again illegal in Kentucky after a judge reinstated a state ban Aug. 1 that had been blocked since late June.

The emergency order is the latest in a state-level back and forth in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 24 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, declaring there’s no right to abortion under the U.S. constitution.

The decision triggered a law in Kentucky that bans most abortions.

Jason Hall, the Catholic Conference of Kentucky’s executive director, expects abortion access to continue to change before the situation resolves.

“We are grateful that the law was allowed to take effect and certainly are happy that abortions have ceased for the time being,” said Hall, who represents Kentucky’s bishops on matters of public policy. “There is just going to be a lot of back and forth. This is going to be a multi-step process through the courts.

“But the ultimate resolution is what is most important in the long run,” he said.

The resolution, he said, will come in one of two ways:

Either the state’s “Supreme Court makes a final decision or the Constitutional Amendment passes.”

The constitutional amendment he refers to is Amendment #2, one sentence that will be on the ballot in November’s election. It says:

“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.”

Hall explained, “We don’t want to end up with a Kentucky Supreme Court decision declaring there is a right to abortion in Kentucky’s constitution. The only way to be sure that won’t happen is to pass Amendment #2 in November.”

The Catholic Conference of Kentucky is part of a campaign that urges voters to vote “YES for Life” on Amendment #2.

For more information about the amendment and the conference’s work, visit ccky.org.

Marnie McAllister
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Marnie McAllister
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