Kentucky

Campaign advocate for abortion rights makes plea for Kentucky lawmakers to relax abortion ban

Published

1 year ago

January 9, 2024

Campaign advocate for abortion rights makes plea for Kentucky lawmakers to relax abortion ban

FRANKFORT, Ky. — A young woman who dominated the discussion about abortion during Kentucky’s campaign last year stepped forward again Tuesday to call on lawmakers to relax the state’s near-total abortion ban.

Months after revealing the trauma of being raped and impregnated in a powerful campaign ad, Hadley Duvall went to the statehouse to endorse a bill that would add exceptions to the anti-abortion law. The measure would allow abortions when pregnancies are caused by rape or incest, or when pregnancies are deemed nonviable or medical emergencies threaten the mother.

She teamed with Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and the bill’s lead sponsor to try to generate momentum, but its fate ultimately will be decided by Republican supermajorities in the legislature. The prospects for carving out more exceptions appear to be uncertain as GOP lawmakers wrangle with the issue.

Duvall, now a college senior in her early 20s, became pregnant as a seventh grader but ultimately miscarried. Her stepfather was convicted of rape. She recounted those traumatic events in a Beshear campaign ad attacking his Republican challenger’s longstanding support for the abortion ban. The commercial put the GOP candidate, then-Attorney General Daniel Cameron, on the defensive for weeks until the November election, which Beshear won in convincing fashion.

The Associated Press does not normally identify sexual assault victims, but Duvall chose to be identified and has spoken out publicly about what she experienced and its connection to the debate over abortion.

Turning her attention to winning over the legislature on Tuesday, Duvall noted that under current Kentucky law she would have had to carry her pregnancy to term.

“There are women and girls across Kentucky right now who are dealing with the same trauma that I went through,” she said. “Those women and girls need their choices. This bill will provide those.”

The debate about loosening Kentucky’s abortion ban comes after Republicans spent years adding restrictions to the procedure. Once the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a state trigger law passed years before took effect. It bans abortions in Kentucky except when carried out to save the life of the mother.

Since this year’s legislative session convened last week, prominent Republicans have talked about how it’s a deeply personal issue for their colleagues. House Speaker David Osborne recently referred to abortion as a “hotly debated issue” with “lots of strong opinions” among GOP members.

Democratic state Sen. David Yates, the lead sponsor of the new exceptions bill, denounced Kentucky’s abortion law as among the nation’s most restrictive. His legislation would provide “a very small step in the right direction for a very limited number of victims that we can help,” he said Tuesday.

Kentucky is one of 14 states currently enforcing a ban on abortion at all stages of pregnancy. Two more have similar bans on hold in court. And two others have bans that kick in when cardiac activity can be detected –- at about six weeks gestational age and before women often realize they are pregnant.

Several of the laws were adopted when the U.S. Supreme Court still found a nationwide right to abortion under the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and took effect only after that precedent was overturned with the new ruling in 2022.

The laws in states with the deepest restrictions are divided over the exceptions. Most allow abortion when the woman’s life is in immediate danger, though a recent ruling said that Texas does not have to do so. Some have them for pregnancies caused by rape or incest and some do not. A few states allow abortion in the case of rape but not incest. There are also contrasting policies over whether abortions are allowed when there is a fatal fetal anomaly.

In Kentucky, abortion access remained virtually shut off after the state’s Supreme Court refused to halt the ban last year. The justices, however, ruled on narrow legal issues and left unanswered larger constitutional questions about whether access to abortion should be legal. In 2022, Kentucky voters rejected a ballot measure aimed at denying any constitutional protections for abortion.

Last month, a woman in Kentucky sued demanding the right to an abortion. But her attorneys later withdrew the lawsuit after the plaintiff learned her embryo no longer had cardiac activity.

Beshear, an abortion-rights supporter, said Tuesday he would immediately sign the new exceptions bill if it reaches his desk. The rape and incest exceptions would ensure that “those that have been harmed and violated in the worst of ways have options,” the governor said.

In comments echoing her hard-hitting message for Cameron last year, Duvall called on lawmakers to think about the “real world implications” of the current abortion ban.

“I’m here with a clear message to say that unless you’ve been in this position you have no idea what any woman or girl is currently going through,” she said Tuesday. “So there should be options. The legislators shouldn’t feel entitled to force victims who have stories like mine to carry a baby of their rapist.”

Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

Source link

Click to comment

Kentucky

Kentucky AG: Kroger ‘allowed the fire of addiction to spread,’ announces $110M settlement

Published

42 minutes ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Kentucky AG: Kroger ‘allowed the fire of addiction to spread,’ announces 0M settlement

COVINGTON, Ky. ‒ Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman announced Thursday a $110 million settlement with Cincinnati-based Kroger in his lawsuit against the grocer for its role in the opioid crisis.

Speaking at a press conference event at the Life Learning Center across the Ohio River from Cincinnati in Northern Kentucky, Coleman said Kroger fueled the opioid epidemic by prescribing the drugs with “shockingly” little oversight or means of reporting suspicious activity.

“(They) allowed the fire of addiction to spread,” Coleman said.

Kroger did not have an immediate response.

Why Kentucky sued Kroger

His office said the agreement is one of the largest opioid settlements in recent Kentucky history and ends one of his major lawsuits launched in 2024.

Last year, Coleman sued Kroger and pharmacy benefits managers Express Scripts and Optum Rx in separate lawsuits for their roles in Kentucky’s opioid epidemic.

Kroger is a $150 billion retailer with a pharmacy business that accounts for $14.3 billion of its annual revenues. Express Scripts is a subsidiary of Connecticutt-based health company Cigna Group. Optum is part of Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group.

Coleman, a Republican, took office last year after being elected in 2023.

The Enquirer will update this story

Source link

Kentucky

Kentucky Lottery Cash Ball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Jan. 8, 2025

Published

9 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Kentucky Lottery Cash Ball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Jan. 8, 2025

The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 winning numbers for each game

Cash Ball

03-04-15-34, Cash Ball: 24

Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.

Lucky For Life

13-14-24-37-38, Lucky Ball: 13

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 3

Evening: 8-0-6

Midday: 9-8-2

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 4

Evening: 3-5-9-9

Midday: 8-3-3-2

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Powerball

01-20-36-38-43, Powerball: 24, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Powerball Double Play

22-29-36-61-65, Powerball: 17

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Courier Journal digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.

Source link

Kentucky

Mark Pope recaps Kentucky vs. Georgia, plus postgame notes

Published

16 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

Mark Pope recaps Kentucky vs. Georgia, plus postgame notes

The Kentucky Wildcats took another tough loss on the road and now stand at 0-2 in true road games after falling to the Georgia Bulldogs, 82-69.

The Cats also struggled to score, managing only 69 points and seeing only three players in double figures after putting up 106 against a top-10 Florida team and having six players with 14 or more points. Kentucky also shot just 27% from 3-point range, making it hard to win in any venue for a team that relies so heavily on shooting from deep.

Georgia’s increased physicality added to Kentucky’s troubles, with foul trouble being a constant issue throughout the game for the Cats. They were outrebounded 43-34.

Despite being 3-0 against top-10 teams this season, Kentucky now has three unranked losses. They’ll have a chance to bounce back as they travel to No. 14 Mississippi State, aiming for their first road win of the season.

And here are the postgame notes via UK Athletics.

Team Records and Series Notes

Kentucky is now 12-3, 1-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Georgia is 13-2 overall, 1-1 in league play.
Kentucky leads the series 132-29, including 44-20 in Athens.
Mark Pope is 199-111 as head coach, including 12-3 at Kentucky.
Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats stay on the road Saturday at Mississippi State. Game time is 8:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. in Starkville) and it will be televised on the SEC Network.

Team Notes

Kentucky made 15 of 19 free throws (78.9 percent), the fourth straight game the Wildcats have made at least 75 percent at the foul line.

Player Notes

Lamont Butler led the Wildcats with 20 points, his eighth double-figure game of the season and second game with at least 20.
He also had a season-high four steals, his third straight game with at least three thefts.
Playing a season-high 27 minutes, Brandon Garrison had a season-high 13 points and collected five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
Otega Oweh had 12 points and has scored in double figures in every game this season. He also led UK in rebounds with seven, the first time this season he has paced the Wildcats in the boardwork.

In the First Half

Kentucky’s starters were Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, Otega Oweh, Andrew Carr and Amari Williams. UK has a 10-3 record with this lineup.
Koby Brea and Travis Perry were the first substitutions at 16:18.
Kentucky was ahead 23-19 but Georgia closed the half with a 28-11 run and took a 47-34 lead into the locker room. UK is 2-3 this season when trailing at halftime.

In the Second Half

Kentucky began the second half with the starters.
The Wildcats chipped away, cutting the margin to 55-50, coaxing a Georgia timeout at 12:02.
Kentucky got no closer as Georgia held steady for the win.

Source link