Last week, Jefferson Circuit Judge Brian Edwards struck down part of a Kentucky statute defining human life as beginning at fertilization. The case arose after a Jewish woman argued she feared prosecution for IVF procedures, which may lead to discarded embryos. Judge Edwards, in his May 1 decision, voided a portion of Kentucky law defining when life begins. He said there were “vagueness concerns” regarding the state law and that it’s up to the state legislature to clarify. This is timely as Kentuckians are in the midst of a major political season and will go to the polls in a little over a week.
Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman launched her bid to become Kentucky’s next governor on April 20. While telling the Lexington Herald-Leader in an interview that she’s ready to move past culture war issues, she believes Roe v Wade “had it right and that’s…. where Kentuckians… want to get back to.” The once self-identified pro-life Democrat, flipped positions upon joining Andy Beshear’s ticket as Lieutenant Governor. Coleman is a formidable candidate. By appealing to empathy for women and pointing to hard cases, she’s staked out what appears to be a moderate position on abortion rights, especially as some Republicans avoid it altogether.
This came into focus in a Candidate Forum I moderated for Congressional candidates in Madison County, where I asked a question that has become increasingly uncomfortable for some in the political class: Where do you stand on protecting human life in the womb, and should there be exceptions for abortion beyond saving the life of the mother?
One candidate got visibly upset and told me the question was “unfair.” But the pro-life voting block—a significant galvanizing forces in the modern GOP— argues that candidates should embrace and defend a principled and consistent definition of life.
According to a recent Pew Research survey, 63% of Republicans and those leaning Republican believe abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. This isn’t a fringe issue. It’s a foundational one for many Kentucky voters who for a decade have sent a pro-life majority to Frankfort, leading to more than a dozen pro-life laws and a consequent ban on abortion in most cases. Yet, top leaders and the consulting class advise “political flexibility” in order for conservatives to win.
I’ve been told we need to be “smarter” and avoid these questions so Democrats don’t use them against pro-life Republicans in a general election. While the politics of abortion is stirring behind the scenes, it’s a question that will come to the forefront in the general election. Democrats like Andy Beshear and now Jacqueline Coleman—who’ve pressed into the hard questions, litigated the exceptions, and have projected and extended empathy to the Hadley Duvalls of the world—have been winning since Roe was overturned in 2022.
But for many pro-life voters, including this writer, this is not a political calculation. Protecting the unborn is integral to a just society and we deserve to know where our leaders stand.