Kentucky governor decries 'extremism' in exception-less abortion bans at Nashville event

Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear decried "extremism" in state abortion bans during a Nashville event on reproductive rights on Friday, pointing to a lack of rape and incest exceptions in Kentucky and Tennessee law as Republicans have effectively banned nearly all abortions in both states.

"Extremism pushes everybody off. It's not the right way to govern," Beshear said. "It's not the right way to make policies, because our policies aren't about proving how pure you are to this party or that party. They're about human beings."

A 2023 Vanderbilt poll showed the vast majority of Tennesseans, including a majority of Republicans, support increased abortion exceptions for victims of rape and incest. Increasingly, Tennessee women of all stripes have identified as "pro-choice" in the wake of the abortion ban. Meanwhile, the Republican supermajority in the General Assembly has continually resisted efforts to add narrow exceptions to the state's abortion ban.

Hadley Duvall, a Kentucky woman who survived child sexual abuse and has emerged as an outspoken advocate for abortion rights, joined Beshear on Friday to speak to the Tennessee Freedom Circle, a reproductive rights group. Both said abuse survivors urgently need exceptions to the law.

Duvall first shared her story on social media in the wake of the Dobbs ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. Duvall, whose stepfather abused her for most of her childhood, became pregnant at the age of 12.

Though she eventually miscarried, she recalled Friday how knowing she had options to end the pregnancy gave her a "sense of calm" amid a horrific situation. She's since criticized near-total abortion bans for forcing children and women to carry through with pregnancies caused by their rapists.

"I had the options, and the trauma was still indescribable," Duvall said. "... I think at the very least, survivors deserve some sort of power over themselves. At the very least, they deserve options. Why can we not give them that?"

The pair on Friday acknowledged abortion can be a polarizing political issue, but Beshear encouraged Tennesseans to approach conversations about it on a personal level, as Duvall has done. Duvall said she doesn't describe herself as "pro-choice" or pro-abortion.

"I say all the time, I'm pro mind your own business," Duvall said.

More: Women deserve abortion access. Kentucky laws mean rape victims like me have no options.

Reproductive rights played a significant role in Beshear's reelection last fall, and the victory in a close race was a major win for Democrats in a state with a Republican legislative supermajority. Duvall fronted an affecting ad directly calling out Beshear's opponent for supporting the Kentucky abortion ban without a rape or incest exception, calling it "unthinkable" to require a 12-year-old to have her stepfather's baby.

Kentucky's abortion ban resembles Tennessee's in requiring women and children who become pregnant via sexual abuse to continue the pregnancy. Tennessee lawmakers last year added a very narrow exception to prevent the death or serious injury of the mother, as the initial version made it a crime for any abortion to be performed in the state.

Tennessee Republican lawmakers have continually blocked efforts to add rape/incest exceptions or exceptions in cases of extreme fetal abnormalities incompatible with life.

"I can't imagine having to hear the news that far too many people who want to be parents do: That your child is not going to make it," Beshear said. "You might have to hear the last gasps of their life the moment that they are born, and you don't have an option. That's wrong. It is just wrong. And again, the vast majority of Americans agree that it's wrong."

Beshear's Nashville stop came just days after the Iowa Democratic Party announced the Kentucky governor will be its keynote speaker at an annual fundraiser dinner next month. The announcement added fuel to ongoing speculation that Beshear is eyeing a 2028 presidential run, as Iowa has historically played an outsize role in presidential primary contests.

He launched a political action committee this year, which has raised more than $300,000 and endorsed candidates across the country, not just in Kentucky.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Kentucky Gov. Beshears decris abortion extremism at Nashville event