Kentucky is back in the national conversation, this time over reporting on Sen. Mitch McConnell's health. With the Senator back in the focus of media attention, I think back to a book I read in 2021: "Mitch, Please! How Mitch McConnell Sold Out Kentucky (and America, Too)," by Matt Jones, founder of Kentucky Sports Radio and at one point a Dem opponent to Sen McConnell during a re-election. Jones lays out how the senator's policy and voting record have impacted every holler, coal mine, and corner of Appalachia. If you are a policy wonk it really is a fascinating read. At the time of this publication, the status of Sen. McConnell’s health is unknown.
When I worked in DC, it was widely accepted that McConnell was one of the most strategic members of Congress in a generation, always ten steps ahead in deploying regulation and working backroom conversations. One move still frustrates me: after the passing of Justice Scalia died in February 2016, McConnell blocked President Obama from filling the seat, refusing to hold hearings on nominee Merrick Garland. The seat sat empty for nearly a year until President Trump took office, handing Trump the pick and, eventually, the Court that overturned Roe.
All of this to say, a state that feels like home to me is back in the media and I wanted to take the time to explain the reproductive health landscape in the Commonwealth and in the event that the Senate position becomes vacant, what that means for Kentucky and access to care.
Abortion Access in the State
In April 2026, Kentucky’s last independent abortion clinic was demolished. EMW Women’s Surgical Center had ceased operating in 2022, after the state’s trigger law took effect. That law, the Human Life Protection Act, went into effect on June 24, 2022, the day Roe v. Wade was overturned. It banned nearly all abortions, with no exceptions for rape or incest, allowing them only when a licensed physician acts to prevent the pregnant patient’s death or permanent injury to a major organ. Today the site is a parking lot, cleared for a planned hotel.
The lack of access compounds already grim outcomes. Kentucky ranks 36th out of 50 for infant mortality and has the sixth highest maternal mortality rate in the nation.
Enter the Kentucky Reproductive Freedom Fund. KYRFF was founded by Dr. Ernest Marshall, one of EMW’s founding physicians, and his wife, Ona. It describes its mission as building a platform for physicians, providers, and advocates working toward reproductive health and freedom without government interference, and as nurturing the next generation of reproductive rights leaders.
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The clearest example is in the medical community. Doctors and healthcare professionals can sign KYRFF’s letter calling for the repeal of all abortion bans. Getting providers involved helps surface expert testimony, and at every level, more of them are stepping into local and state politics.
KYRFF also partners with the Kentucky Health Justice Network (KHJN), a practical-support fund that helps people cover the costs around care: procedure funding, transportation, lodging, childcare, and interpretation. Its volunteer hotline offers free, confidential, nonjudgmental information on pregnancy, abortion, and adoption.
Kentucky’s Legislative Landscape
The Governor is Democrat Andy Beshear, elected in 2019. Beshear is pro- choice and progressive, but both the KY Senate and House of Representatives are in a republican supermajority.
In 2025, during a session that adjourned sine die, HB 90, framed as clarifying when abortions are legal, made it to the Governor's desk. It passed the Senate on a Thursday and cleared the House shortly after. Beshear vetoed it, saying it "threatens the life of pregnant women in Kentucky," but lawmakers returned to Frankfort for the final two days of the session and overrode the veto with their supermajority, enacting HB 90 into law.
Past Kentucky Coverage
The 2026 Races
Advocacy and mutual aid keep people connected to care, but they are not a substitute for policy. This year, every Kentucky House seat is on the ballot, and Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates endorsed a slate of candidates pledging to protect reproductive rights and healthcare access. The May 19 primary produced mixed results.
Four advanced to the November 3 general election: Nima Kulkarni (House District 40, 77%); her father, Suhas Kulkarni (House District 48, 72%, now facing Republican incumbent Ken Fleming); Stephenie Hoelscher (Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council District 5, who led with 49%); and Shameka Parrish-Wright, who finished second in Louisville’s first nonpartisan mayoral primary and will face incumbent Craig Greenberg.
Three fell short- Cassie Lyles (House District 30) lost to Mitra Subedi, who unseated the embattled incumbent. Joi McAtee (House District 43) lost to Robert LeVertis Bell. And Aprile Hearn (Louisville Metro Council District 5) finished third despite the county party’s endorsement.
Kentuckians have pushed back before, in 2023, they reelected Beshear over anti-abortion former Attorney General Daniel Cameron. The fight over who represents the commonwealth is far from settled with some big seats up for grabs this November.
Miscarriage Criminalization
Jessica Valenti has done a great job investigating and reporting how the state has actively began the criminalization of miscarriages and abortion care- please check out her work below. KY is starting (leading) the narrative that a miscarriage is disposing of a fetus and utilizing emotionally charged and incorrect verbiage in order to vilify the narrative of real medical episodes. When people cannot go to a hospital for care when needed- and are forced to figure it out on their own - criminalization is a possible outcome.
November won’t undo the last four years, but Kentucky is one more place to watch to for overturning a trigger law. Weep No More My Lady!
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