Reactions to KY abortion ruling: Conservatives celebrate, Democrats vow to keep fighting.

Many Kentucky Republicans have claimed victory in this round of the legal battle over abortion in Kentucky.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron, whose office has defended the law against a suit brought forward by multiple parties, cheered the ruling.

“Since the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade last June, we have vigorously defended Kentucky’s Human Life Protection Act and Heartbeat Law. We are very pleased that Kentucky’s high court has allowed these laws to remain in effect while the case proceeds in circuit court,” his office said in a statement. “This is a significant victory, and we will continue to stand up for the unborn by defending these laws.”

Cameron, who is running for the Republican nomination for governor this year, has made his ant-abortion stance a key part of his gubernatorial platform.

A Thursday decision from the Kentucky Supreme Court allowed the state’s trigger ban on abortion to remain in effect, much to the chagrin of pro-abortion rights groups like the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, which was involved in the litigation.

“For now, people in Kentucky will continue to be denied access to care, with devastating consequences. We’ll do everything we can to protect our reproductive rights — we won’t stop fighting for abortion,” the national branch of the organization tweeted.

A regional branch of Planned Parenthood, one of the primary abortion care providers in the U.S., responded similarly.

Others in the anti-abortion rights movement expressed joy at the Kentucky Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday, as a “Faith & Family Advocacy Day” held by the socially conservative Family Foundation was taking place just as news broke.

“We celebrate, we praise God... This is a great victory. Today is day 199 without an abortion in the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” Kentucky Right to Life Director Addia Wuchner said at the gathering.

Rep. Nancy Tate, R-Brandeenburg, similarly praised the ruling but also urged anti-abortion supporters to remain committed to the cause.

“As we know, our mission is not complete. We have so many other issues that are facing us, from conception to natural death, that we need to continue to discern and make sure that the people representing us represent our Christian basis, our Christian beliefs,” Tate said.

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, expressed a measure of disappointment in the court’s ruling. He repeated past criticism of the state’s current trigger ban, which doesn’t include exceptions for rape or incest, as “draconian.”

“We have one of the most restrictive, draconian trigger laws in the country that eliminate options even for victims of rape, victims of incest… What this means is people victimized through no fault of their own, while going through the worst outcome that prospective parents could have, have no options,” Beshear said.

Though his overall takeaway from the decision was negative, Beshear also emphasized that the question of whether or not the anti-abortion laws in question were constitutional was not decided.

“Ultimately, the court did not rule on the overall constitutionality of either of the laws at issue,” Beshear said. “But what they did do is say that there would not be an injunction in place during the pendency of the continued action on at least one law, meaning the trigger law is Kentucky’s law. And the victims of rape and incest have fewer rights than their rapist.”

Auditor Mike Harmon, one of a bevy of Republicans running for the chance to beat Beshear’s re-election effort, celebrated.

“In regards to the decision by the KY Supreme Court this morning, I am thankful that they are at least for the moment continuing to protect the innocent unborn lives in Kentucky,” Harmon said.

Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, said he was heartened by the ruling but, not having fully reviewed the 150-page opinion, said it sounded like the state’s high court was “punting” on the issue.

“I actually thought they (Cameron’s office) might lose the case. But the supreme court has punted... Still I’m happy for the pro-life movement. We, as a General Assembly have the right to regulate clinics in the commonwealth just as we have a right to protect life.”

Sen. Karen Berg, D-Louisville, has been a fierce defender of abortion rights in Frankfort. She pointed to the fact that a proposed anti-abortion constitutional amendment – which many interpreted as a referendum on the state’s trigger ban – was rejected by Kentucky voters in November.

“The people of Kentucky voted. Our constitution gives a woman a right to privacy and a right to self-determination, and the people of this state saw that, know that, and voted for that,” Berg said.

Democratic Senate Caucus Chair Reggie Thomas called the ruling “a clear infringement on the rights of women to make their own healthcare decisions.”

“Women should have the right to access safe and legal abortion services without unnecessary government interference. By upholding these bans, Kentucky is failing to protect the fundamental rights of women and undermining the principles of reproductive freedom,” Thomas said in a statement.

House Democratic caucus leadership said in a statement that the court “should not have let these drastic laws remain,” saying it will have a “negative impact on women’s reproductive health.”

GOP legislative leadership – which, due to the party’s massive majorities, controls the flow of legislation in Frankfort – has so far stood behind the state’s ban on abortion.

Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, said that he was encouraged by the court’s recent ruling.

“The Senate Majority Caucus is a pro-life caucus and we remain committed to protecting the rights of unborn children. I find today’s Supreme Court of Kentucky ruling, all 150 pages of it, to be encouraging. While we continue to pore through it to understand its full impact, I recognize there is still work to be done to continue protecting the innocent lives of unborn children,” Stivers said in a statement.