Andy Beshear, governor of Kentucky, speaks at the 2022 Concordia Lexington Summit on April 8 in Lexington, Ky. Photo: Jon Cherry via Getty Images for Concordia
Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed on Friday a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest.
Why it matters: The sweeping measure is modeled after Mississippi's abortion law, which is currently under review by the Supreme Court, AP notes. Kentucky currently bans abortions after 20 weeks.
- The bill also restricts access to abortion medication. The ACLU has said it would "violate patient privacy, and make it more difficult for young survivors to seek care."
What he's saying: "Rape and incest are violent crimes," Beshear wrote in his veto message.
- "Victims of these crimes should have options, not be further scarred through a process that exposes them to more harm from their rapists or that treats them like offenders themselves."
- He also called the bill "likely unconstitutional."
Yes, but: The Kentucky state legislature has the majority needed to override his veto.
The big picture: The legislation also takes aim at abortion bills, which advocates on both sides of the fight have positioned as the next battle.
- The pills for an abortion by medication, mifepristone and misoprostol, are FDA-approved for use in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy.
- Republican states like Kentucky are moving to increasingly limit access to the pills, setting up a new round of legal battles over who'll have the final say over the distribution of the drugs, Axios' Tina Reed writes.
- Abortion would become immediately illegal in at least 13 states, including Kentucky, if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.