Out of the gate, Senator Ralph Alvarado anticipated a heated debate of HB 3.
“I’m going to ask everyone to please temper those emotions if they can. I have a gavel. I don’t want to use it to gavel anybody down.”
The Humanity in Healthcare Act sets stricter guidelines for minors seeking abortions, requires “dignified disposal of fetal remains,” does not allow Kentucky taxpayer dollars to fund abortions, regulates abortion medication and gives Kentucky’s Attorney General extradition authority of individuals charged with violating distribution rules of that medication.
Bill sponsor, Republican Representative Nancy Tate said so long as abortions remain legal in Kentucky, she wants to make them as safe as possible.
“Typically when the life of the mother is being challenged or is at risk, we don’t go to abortion clinics, we go to hospitals.”
Democrat Senator Karen Berg, who is a physician, argued that “actual life, the life of the mother takes precedence over the potential life.”
“This is not a medical question. This is a religious, moral, ethical question that we have no business legislating.”
HB 3 passed 8-2 and moved to the Senate floor.
