LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Mayor Linda Gorton shared a statement on the overturning of Roe v. Wade from the perspective of a former health care provider.
"There are many women and men who oppose or support abortion, and yet, like me, they believe the decision should be between a woman and her health care provider.
As a registered nurse who practiced in a variety of health care settings over a period of 40 years, I have personally seen and worked with many patients having to make difficult, life altering decisions.That includes patients suffering intractable pain, people with wounds that would not heal, patients with suicidal thoughts, babies with seizures and pregnant women with life-threatening health issues.
All of these patients were managed within the confidential arena of relationships between health care providers and patients.
I have been frequently asked about enforcement of the law. I have asked our Law Department to look into it.I am concerned about the health and well-being of our residents who will be most affected by this decision. We must be vigilant in our support of these people. That is what we can do."
Mayoral candidate David Kloiber shortly responded with a statement of disappointment. Kloiber expressed the need for something to be done at a local level regarding Roe v. Wade and calls upon the mayor to do so.
"Many people believe this is not a local issue, that it can only be addressed at the state and federal levels, but in fact some of the quickest and most impactful measures can be taken right here at the city level.
Local Leaders around the country are finding ways to protect their residents, even up the road in Cincinnati we are seeing measures being taken to provide city employees with enhanced health care options and a commitment to prioritize police resources to protect the health of women and health care providers instead of prosecuting them.
I am disappointed in the response we as residents received from our mayor."
Full Statement from David Kloiber:
"In the wake of the supreme court decision last Friday there has been a tremendous amount of anger, uncertainty, and fear about what happens next. We are looking to leaders at every level to step up and take action since this ruling personally and negatively affects people of every walk of life. We all have people that touch our lives being affected by this decision, and those people in my life play a crucial role in the decision to speak on this topic today.
Last year, a friend of mine was given heartbreaking news in her second trimester. The child she was carrying had developed a birth defect that was incompatible with life, specifically that the brain was growing outside of the skull. Under the current laws in Kentucky she would have been forced to carry this pregnancy to term and deliver a stillborn baby at great risk to her own health. What she went through was already heartbreaking enough, and I truly do not believe that anyone hearing of my friend's situation would want for her to carry that inevitable pain with her for many months more, but that is where we are today. And just thinking about something like this happening again but to my daughter, my wife, or those I care about, makes me resolute in my desire to see action taken on this issue.
Many people believe this is not a local issue, that it can only be addressed at the state and federal levels, but in fact some of the quickest and most impactful measures can be taken right here at the city level.
Local Leaders around the country are finding ways to protect their residents, even up the road in Cincinnati we are seeing measures being taken to provide city employees with enhanced health care options and a commitment to prioritize police resources to protect the health of women and health care providers instead of prosecuting them.
I am disappointed in the response we as residents received from our mayor.
A response that has placed health care providers in an untenable situation having to make life and death decisions without any form of protection from the local government.
A response that fails to speak to the struggle of women who do not have the luxury or ability to travel out of state for these life saving procedures
A response that cedes leadership on this issue to state and federal representatives and hopes that they will fight for the rights of our local residents.
I ask the Mayor to reconsider her statements of platitudes and deference and implement the same protections we are seeing from local leaders in Cincinnati and around the country. Enhance our employee health care to provide coverage for travel expenses for procedures that require out of state travel, and prioritize police resources to protect the health of women and health care providers."
Our residents deserve a quick and decisive response in this time of uncertainty.
