HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (LEX 18) — Monday's debate in Northern Kentucky was not the first-time voters got to see Gov. Andy Beshear and Attorney General Daniel go head-to-head on the debate stage. But it was the first-time voters got to see them address one of Kentucky's most contentious election issues - abortion.
The candidates were asked to clarify whether or not they support adding exceptions to Kentucky's abortion bans for rape and incest. Currently, Kentucky law does not permit rape or incest victims to access abortion services.
Beshear called Kentucky's law "one of the most restrictive in the country." He said he supports adding in the exceptions because he believes it's wrong to not give rape and incest survivors any options.
"Those individuals deserve to have options," said Beshear. "They deserve to have choices."
WATCH THE FULL DEBATE HERE:
Beshear said that his challenger celebrated the abortion ban’s passage and pointed to Cameron’s long-running support for the law as written, without exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest.
“My opponent’s position would give a rapist more rights than their victim,” Beshear said. “It is wrong. We need to change this law. We need to make sure that those individuals have that option.”
Cameron clarified that if the legislature passed a law with rape and incest exceptions, he would "certainly sign it." But he did not specify whether he personally supports the exceptions, which is something Democrats have criticized Cameron for.
Post-debate, LEX 18 asked Cameron to clarify his personal stance, but Cameron did not directly answer.
"If the legislature brings me those exceptions, I will certainly sign it," Cameron said, "But as I was trying to talk about tonight, we never talk about - this room never talks about - the no limits Andy Beshear wants on abortion. He doesn’t want any limits and he wants taxpayers to pay for it."
Cameron went on the attack by pointing to Beshear’s opposition to abortion restrictions passed by the state’s GOP-dominated legislature. As attorney general, Beshear refused to defend a law imposing a 20-week ban on abortion, and later as governor he vetoed a 15-week ban, Cameron said.
“That is Andy Beshear’s record on the issue of life,” Cameron said. “It’s one of failure for the unborn.”
"I am the pro-life candidate," he added. "Andy is abortion candidate."
Cameron has repeatedly said that Beshear's stance on abortion, specifically in terms of limitations, is out of touch with Kentucky.
"Don't be at all fooled by the fact that Andy Beshear won't tell you what he wants in terms of limits because his view on this is no limits," said Cameron.
Beshear argues that's not true.
"I’ve been clear that I support reasonable restrictions especially on late term abortions," said Beshear. "But there’s a reason he wants to talk about that. It’s that our trigger law is the most extreme in the country and it doesn't even provide exceptions for victims or rape or incest - some as young as nine years old."
Abortion polices have been at the forefront of the campaign. Beshear’s campaign released a TV ad last month featuring a Kentucky woman who revealed her own childhood trauma while calling for rape and incest exceptions. The woman, now in her early 20s, talked about having been raped by her stepfather when she was 12 years old. She became pregnant as a seventh grader but eventually miscarried.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
