Lexington mayor urges public to vote ‘No’ on proposed anti-abortion amendment

Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said Thursday she will vote against a constitutional amendment that would prohibit abortions in Kentucky and is urging voters to also vote “No.”

“I’ve had a career in nursing over a span of 40 years,” Gorton said in a Facebook video. Health care decisions should be between a patient and a doctor, she said.

“The government has no business in that exam room. That is why on Nov. 8 I am voting ‘No’ on Amendment 2 and I want you to do the same,” she said.

Amendment 2, the proposed amendment which will be on the ballot in November, states “To protect human life, nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.”

Gorton, who is in her first term, is facing Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilman David Kloiber on Nov. 8. The race is non-partisan. Gorton, a registered nurse, is a Republican. Kloiber is a Democrat.

Abortion has become an issue in the mayor’s race. Nearly all abortions are illegal in Kentucky after the overturning of Roe vs. Wade earlier this year, which caused Kentucky’s “trigger law” to go into effect.

Kloiber, a first-term councilman who runs his family’s foundation, has said if he is elected, he would direct police not to investigate doctors, health care providers or women for abortions. Kloiber has also said he would make sure the city’s health insurance covers abortions out of state.

Gorton has said she can’t tell police what laws to enforce and what laws not to enforce, saying that’s a dangerous precedent.

Sign up for our Bluegrass Politics Newsletter

A must-read newsletter for political junkies across the Bluegrass State with reporting and analysis from the Lexington Herald-Leader. Never miss a story! Sign up for our Bluegrass Politics newsletter to connect with our reporting team and get behind-the-scenes insights, plus previews of the biggest stories.