When Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, Kentucky’s “trigger law” went into effect, making abortions illegal in the state of Kentucky and immediately shuttering any abortion clinics. But what most people don’t realize is that abortions still take place in states like Kentucky—for example, people can order abortion pills by mail and end the life of their child (these “chemical abortions” now make up the majority of abortions nationwide). And that’s why three of our state legislators have courageously introduced House Bill 523.
This is a very emotional issue, and no matter how a bill is worded, there can be disagreement even among Christians over the matter. All are encouraged to read it extremely carefully, stand back, and apply the biblical principle that all human life made in the image of God begins at fertilization and that abortion is the deliberate taking of a human life. Should not we be doing all we can to protect human life?
This bill would “create new sections of KRS Chapter 507, relating to criminal homicide, to allow a prosecution where the victim is an unborn child”—in other words, it would equally apply our current laws to unborn children, treating them as fully human and deserving of equal protection under the law. Unlike other pro-life bills, House Bill 523 is groundbreaking because it applies equal protection to babies in the womb, ensuring that their lives are valued just as much as those already born. Here’s the full summary of the bill:
Create new sections of KRS Chapter 507, relating to criminal homicide, to allow a prosecution where the victim is an unborn child; provide exceptions for spontaneous miscarriages and lawful medical procedures; amend KRS 507.010 to define terms; create new sections of KRS Chapter 508, relating to assault, to define terms; allow a prosecution where the victim is an unborn child; provide exceptions for spontaneous miscarriages and lawful medical procedures; amend KRS 501.090 to allow the defense of duress in a prosecution of intentional homicide where the victim is an unborn child and the defendant is the child’s mother; create a new section of KRS Chapter 15 to give the Attorney General concurrent jurisdiction with Commonwealth’s and county attorneys; repeal KRS 507A.010, 507A.020, 507A.030, 507A.040, 507A.050, and 507A.060, relating to fetal homicide; amend KRS 311.732, 402.205, and 439.265 to conform; provide that the Act may be cited as the Prenatal Equal Protection Act.
You’ll probably hear—even, sadly, from many of today’s mainstream pro-life groups—that this bill would unfairly punish women, but it’s actually really simple—it just applies the law equally to all people, as one of the bill’s sponsors Rep. Josh Calloway, explained to a local reporter:
LEX 18 asked one of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Josh Calloway, about the intentions behind the bill. Are they focused on prosecution?
“This bill is not focused specifically on prosecution of anyone, it’s about protection for the baby,” said Calloway. “So that a baby, if they are killed before they are born, they would get the same constitutional right and scrutiny from our court system as anybody else would.”
“It’s really to make sure that they get the same due process that you or I would get if we were killed,” he added.
And it’s worth noting that this bill acknowledges that some women seeking abortions are coerced or misled. That’s why it includes a legal defense of duress for the mother, ensuring that justice is rightly applied. The goal is not punishment but protection—ensuring that preborn children receive the same legal recognition and justice as any other human being. This is a crucial measure that loves and protects both mothers and the preborn.
As Christians, we are called to stand for the protection of innocent life: “Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.” (Proverbs 24:11)
And that includes the unborn, fearfully and wonderfully made by God: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13)
Other states—including Iowa, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, Idaho, North Dakota, and South Carolina—all have similar bills in the works, according to End Abortion Now’s website.
