Sen. David Yates, D-Louisville, has again filed a bill to add more exceptions to Kentucky’s near-total ban on abortion, including one for nonviable pregnancies. (LRC Public Information)
FRANKFORT — Saying it’s the “right thing to do,” Sen. David Yates, a Louisville Democrat, is again asking the legislature to consider providing exceptions in Kentucky’s near-total abortion ban for rape, incest and fetus viability.
Yates filed a bill Tuesday, the first day of the 2025 legislative session, which is identical to one he filed in 2024 that failed to advance.
Senate Bill 35 would allow Kentuckians to get abortions in the case of pregnancy from rape or incest, and in cases of lethal fetal anomalies. Kentucky’s only current exception is when the life of the mother is in immediate jeopardy.
Yates believes there is appetite even in the Republican-controlled legislature to pass more exceptions this year, saying, “I don’t think this is a partisan issue” and “I’m hoping that we’ll have enough support to be able to get some form of exceptions passed.”