Kentucky abortion ban: 20 weeks down to 15 weeks

SB321+Summary+update+from+March+16%2C+2022.

(Courtesy of Kentucky General Assembly)

SB321 Summary update from March 16, 2022.

DISCLAIMER: We talk about sensitive topics such as abortion and young-adults pregnancies.

With SB321, passed by the Kentucky State Legislature on March 10, pregnant women are in charge of making their abortion choice within 15 weeks instead of 20 weeks.

The bill was passed, winning in the Senate 31-6.

Lawmakers in the Kentucky legislature made the change of cutting down the week time to 15 weeks, as well as making sure minors have parental consent before an abortion is performed on said minor. 

This HB 3 focuses on minors and the place they stand in abortions being performed on them. This house bill was introduced by Republican Representative Nancy Tate in February of 2022.

Tate attempted to pass this bill to stop minors from doing harmful things that they might regret in the future or that might harm the individual getting the procedure. 

Our goal is to ensure the procedure is the result of a fully informed, educated choice that takes into consideration the health and safety of both the unborn child and his or her mother,” said Tate, courtesy of 89.3 WFPL.

Many Republican Representatives agree with this choice on Tate’s part, believing that if a fetus is harmed by a young parent, that parent might rethink the decision they made. This can be difficult for the young adult involved.

In Missouri, they are banning all abortions under House Bill 2810, unless the parent is in risk of death, or hurting the fetus or themselves during birth. This means that if the fetus is in harm of having drug issues, birth effects, or mental disorders, they can be aborted. 

Now being considered in the Kentucky House is the cut down of dispensing abortion medication, also known as “the day after pill”. 

Many Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates are against this idea. Due to the fact that the cut down of abortion pills can cause a lot of unwanted pregnancies that could harm life.

In addition to this, the bill states that abortions of teenagers under 18 years old must have consent from the legal guardian(s). This also comes along with making the decision of having an abortion within 15 weeks. 

When the veto period starts, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear will make his decision on where the bill stands.