Calls for social distancing did not keep pro-abortion activists from making their voices—or, in this case, cars—heard.
On Thursday, the Kentucky General Assembly met at the State Capitol to discuss House Bill 451, which would allow Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R-KY) to limit abortion access with “civil or criminal penalties”
In response, unable to enter the building, Kentuckians drove around the Capitol building and honked their horns during the meeting, with signs reading phrases like “Go Home” taped to their car doors.
“We’re here because we want our state legislators to protect their lives and ours and each other’s and go home,” said Beck Jones, a driver who said she’s worried about the coronavirus. “After passing a budget and any COVID relief, any other legislation can wait.”
This crafty protest came to be because the General Assembly has shut out the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tamarra Wieder, Kentucky State Director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana and Kentucky, spoke out against the lawmakers’ actions.
“The General Assembly is spending valuable time and resources exploiting a global pandemic to score political points instead of rallying behind Governor Beshear to respond to this crisis,” Wieder said.
In addition to putting their citizens’ lives in danger, the protesters also argued this meeting demonstrated a lapse in judgement: Instead of focusing on their budget and pandemic relief, the government discussed an anti-abortion bill that would keep abortion-seekers from accessing essential healthcare in the midst of the international coronavirus pandemic.
“We expect more from our elected officials, who should not be spending time restricting health care access, and instead doing everything they can to ensure each person can access essential health care,” Wieder said.
Protestors honked for a shift in focus, so that their government could address the public health crisis at hand instead of limiting a necessary part of their healthcare.
“Simply put: our elected officials are putting lives in jeopardy,” Wieder said. “It is time to stop the shenanigans and shut this legislative session down now.”
