Members of medical community speak out against Kentucky’s abortion bans

FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — A group of Kentucky doctors, medical students, and healthcare professionals spoke out against the state’s abortion bans on Wednesday afternoon, calling them “cruel and dangerous” in Frankfort.

They’re part of a much bigger group of more than 430 members of the medical community who signed a letter calling for the state’s abortion bans to be repealed.

The letter from the Kentucky Reproductive Freedom Fund (KYRFF) states that Kentucky has the 6th highest maternal mortality rate in the US.

In Wednesday’s news conference at the Capitol building, Ona Marshal, co-founder of the KYRFF, said the laws “make Kentucky an undesirable place to live.”

Dr. Janey Wygal, a board-certified OBGYN, also took to the podium, saying, “Kentucky’s current abortion ban has absolutely no exceptions. Even in the case of incest and rape, I am so deeply distressed that women and children must flee the state of Kentucky for routine, lifesaving, comprehensive, compassionate health care.”

While the majority of Kentuckians voted against an abortion ban in 2022, Wednesday’s speakers said current lawmakers are ignoring not only the voice of the people but also the religious convictions behind reproductive rights.

“Because Kentucky ranks high among maternal deaths, we can say that limited access to and bans on health care, allow, women to die. How’s that for ‘love your neighbor?” said Reverend Diane Snowa, a minister from the United Church of Christ.

The group also said bans are driving away doctors.

Third-year medical student at the University of Louisville, Shriya Dodwani, said, “The restrictions on evidence-based medicine and basic freedoms in Kentucky aren’t just policies. These are barriers that are preventing us from becoming the doctors that our communities need.”

Speakers also addressed complications that can arise during pregnancy and the lack of care that would be available.

“It is unconscionable that Kentucky’s reproductive laws force people to risk their lives, whether they want children or not,” said Claire Reardon, a PhD candidate at UK in the Department of Sociology.

She went on to say that because of the current state of reproductive rights in Kentucky, she and her husband had to make a difficult decision.

“Given these risks, my husband, my doctor, and I have made the heartbreaking decision to delay having children until I can return to Chicago,” said Reardon.

Speakers said they will continue urging lawmakers to restore evidence-based healthcare policies and protect doctors from prosecution for providing lifesaving care.