Via press release from Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates
Frankfort, KY — On Wednesday, in a reckless and possibly unprecedented maneuver, Kentucky legislators rammed through extreme anti-abortion and anti-trans policies with limited transparency, amending and advancing House Bill 90 from committee to the Governor's desk in less than 24 hours.
Lawmakers used last-minute amendments to insert language that endangers Kentuckians’ lives by forcing pregnant patients into medical crisis before allowing abortion care, while simultaneously pushing forward House Bill 495, stripping Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care.
This last minute sneak attack demonstrates legislators' complete disregard for public input, medical expertise, and the lives of Kentuckians across the Commonwealth.
Statement by Tamarra Wieder, Kentucky State Director, Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates:
“Legislators are trying to inject fake medical terminology in a desperate attempt to mask the deadly impact of their anti-abortion bans. It’s like saying there is smoke but no fire. We should all be outraged at these coordinated attempts to redefine health care with barely any opportunity for public input.
Meanwhile, pregnant people are suffering and providers are forced to withhold care, all because Kentucky lawmakers have decimated the health care system, forcing providers to make decisions out of fear rather than in the best interest of patients.
These bills set a dangerous precedent by inserting non-medical jargon into critical care decisions and further denying emergency treatment to Kentuckians already in crisis.
Politicians should not be inserting themselves into personal health decisions, period. That includes medical emergencies and vital health care for transgender Kentuckians. These decisions belong in the hands of trained professionals in consultation with their patients — not in rushed, ill-conceived legislation. Make no mistake: if these bills pass, legislators will be directly responsible for needless suffering and deaths across the Commonwealth.”
Two Bills, Same Harmful Strategy
Abortion “Exceptions” Stunt (HB 414/HB 90): Under the guise of providing clarity on Kentucky’s severe abortion ban, lawmakers have snuck narrow and confusing “exceptions” into a perinatal palliative care measure. Rather than offering meaningful medical care to patients with fatal fetal diagnoses or life-threatening pregnancy complications, this language forces doctors to wait until patients are near death before intervening. It enshrines unnecessary delays in law and fails to address real, urgent medical needs.
Make no mistake: Kentucky’s existing ban will remain firmly in place, and these so-called “exceptions” do nothing to mitigate the chilling effect that drives providers out of the state — or forces them into fear of prosecution for delivering what should be basic health care.
Medicaid Coverage Ban on Gender-Affirming Care (HB 495): Not content with targeting vulnerable transgender minors, lawmakers have now proposed stripping Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care at any age. This overreach not only undermines professional medical judgment but also denies care that leading health authorities — from the American Medical Association to the American Academy of Pediatrics — recognize as essential for the well-being of transgender and nonbinary individuals.
Kentucky’s Medicaid program already covers only medically necessary services — which should include care for trans patients. HB 495 would interfere in that patient-provider relationship and limit access to this care outright, jeopardizing many Kentuckians’ mental and physical health.
Kentuckians deserve real solutions, not rushed legislation introduced at the last minute. These efforts to slip through broad, harmful policies reveal a callous disregard for people’s lives. Every Kentuckian — rural or urban, young or old, LGBTQ or otherwise — should have access to dignified, compassionate, and evidence-based medical care.
HB 90 passed the House 74 - 17 and is now headed to Governor Andy Beshear’s desk. HB 495 is now in the Senate and could receive a floor vote today.
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