Roe v. Wade draft- what does it mean for Kentuckians?

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.-“I mean this is just an unbelievable story…. I said that’s not possible, that was my original reaction, that something like this is not possible,” said WKU political science associate professor Jeff Budziak. 

A draft has been leaked that suggests the Supreme Court could be overturning the historical 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion. 

Never in history has a case this important, have part of the process leaked in advance of a final decision. 

Kentucky is one of 13 states that have trigger laws that go into place and ban abortions if Roe is struck down. A woman could only have an abortion in the case of a medical emergency, but not incest or rape. 

“Young girls, 13 years old, raped and impregnated, sometimes even by family members. If that opinion goes through, in Kentucky, those victims won’t have any options and I think that they should,” said Governor Andy Beshear. 

There is currently only one place to get an abortion in Kentucky- the Planned Parenthood in Louisville. There are several in surrounding states, however that may not last if Roe is overturned. 

“For some women what might have been an hour long drive or a 30 minute drive to an abortion clinic might be a 12 hour drive. And given the challenges in that, for some people that will be a moderate inconvenience, but for some people it might put abortion totally out of reach for them,” said Budziak. 

This could have people turning to telehealth appointments and abortion pills by mail…but that could be blocked too. 

“I expect what we’ll see is some women are going to look for more access to abortion that way but states may regulate your ability to get abortion pills that would allow them to do that under this decision so make it more difficult to get abortion pills through the mail,” said Budziak. 

A final decision will probably not be heard until the end of June. Justices can change their vote by then.