OWENSBORO, Ky. (WEHT)- Almost a week after the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion- a crowd of roughly 100 abortion rights advocates gathered near the Daviess County Courthouse to have their voices heard throughout downtown Owensboro.
For some, like the Myers family, it was an opportunity to show their children what it means to stand up for what they believe in. For others, like Hadley Duvall, the debate over abortion rights is a personal one. Duvall says she was abused, molested, and raped by her stepfather for nearly a decade, including a positive pregnancy test when she was just 12.
Back then, Duvall had a choice to either get an abortion or carry the pregnancy to term. While the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, Duvall says that experience lingered with her. Duvall says she used her anger, voice, and power, to stand up and let people know that these things do happen, even in small towns.
The Kentucky law triggered into action by the Supreme Court’s decision made an exception for instances when the mother’s life was in danger, but not in cases of rape or incest. That law was later blocked temporarily by a Kentucky judge.
U.S. Representative Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), whose district covers the entirety of Daviess County along with other parts of western and south-central Kentucky, says the final say on abortion’s legality should be left up to the states, not Congress. Guthrie, who considers himself “pro-life” disagreed with the judge’s ruling, saying the Supreme Court already backed up the bill and that clinics performing abortions should’ve only been allowed to “pack up.”
Back at the rally, Duvall says she’s concerned for the next generation of people who may have to deal with the same experiences she did, but without the same choices she had available to her.