FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – Pro-life Kentuckians converged on the Capitol steps for a rally in support of Constitutional Amendment 2 on Saturday (Oct. 1) despite a vocal opposition. The Yes for Life Alliance organized the afternoon, which featured a host of speakers, live music and a march through the Capitol.
“Faithfulness to God means faithfulness to the dignity of human life,” said Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in his opening remarks. “We come together because we understand that every single human life bears dignity because every single human life is sacred. And in that, we understand that the cause of that sacredness is that every single human life is made in God’s image.”
Mohler added that understanding the inherent sacredness of human life should result in defending human life “from the moment of fertilization until the moment of natural death.”
Constitutional Amendment 2, while not outright banning abortion, would add a new section to Kentucky’s foundational legal document that 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.”
The amendment will appear as the last item on the midterm election ballot on November 8.
Mohler said that the amendment will also make clear “that Kentucky’s taxpayers may not be forced to be complicit in the culture of death by the funding of abortion.”
Jason Lovins, whose band played at the rally, shared the story of his mother who, when raped by a stranger on the way home from the pool at 15, chose life for her baby with the support of her mom. Adoption was her plan—until Lovins’ mother heard his heartbeat.
“My family made it very clear to me at a young age that, ‘You know what, you don’t have a dad. You don’t have an earthly father; we don’t even know who it is. But you have a heavenly father who loves you, who loves you more than you’ll ever know.’ And (they) would just continue to remind me of that over and over and over. And it’s always been enough.”
Lovins said that Kentucky needs more people like his grandma, who will step up and walk alongside people in their darkest, deepest valleys.
Protesters gathered at the bottom of the Capitol steps, several hundred yards from the rally—chanting “save lives, vote no” and “my body, my choice,” playing loud music, screaming as a group and hoisting signs in opposition of Constitutional Amendment 2 throughout the afternoon.
John Curtis Iffert, bishop for the Diocese of Covington, admonished rally attendees not to respond in kind.
“We know how to disagree and do it with kindness,” Iffert said.
Iffert also encouraged pro-life Kentuckians to recruit other voters to make their voices heard on the issue of abortion, noting that the amendment is not about partisan activity.
“It is issue advocacy,” Iffert said. “This is the one opportunity in our lifetime for the citizens of Kentucky to register your opinion on abortion and unborn life.”
“We’ve got work to do,” added Senator Whitney Westerfield, who encouraged the crowd to pray, vote for pro-life candidates, and get involved in the ministry of local pregnancy resource centers.
A group of pro-life women also stepped up to voice their support of Constitutional Amendment 2—grandmas, mothers and daughters who personally considered abortion, who married abortion survivors, who were conceived in rape, and who adopted children.
Jeff Fugate, pastor of Clays Mill Baptist Church, closed out the afternoon by calling attendees to follow through on November 8.
“For nearly 50 years, we’ve been fighting this war to protect the life of the unborn,” Mills said. “We have fought for the opportunity that we have today. We’re down to the fourth quarter. We’re down to the last few minutes.”
The Yes for Life Alliance founding members include the Kentucky Baptist Convention, Kentucky Right to Life Association, Commonwealth Policy Center, The Family Foundation, Sisters for Life, and the Catholic Conference of Kentucky.
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