Kentucky's Democratic governor vetoes abortion legislation

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky's Democratic governor vetoed legislation Friday that would have given the state's anti-abortion attorney general new authority to regulate abortion clinics.

The measure cleared the GOP-dominated legislature in the waning hours of this year's legislative session. As a result, lawmakers won’t have an opportunity to override Gov. Andy Beshear's veto.

The bill also would have given Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron the power to suspend abortions as an elective procedure during the coronavirus outbreak.

Another part of the vetoed measure would have required doctors to provide life-sustaining care for an infant born alive after a failed abortion attempt. Beshear noted in his veto message that existing law already protects the life of infants.

Kentucky lawmakers have moved aggressively in recent years to put restrictions on abortions. Their passage of the latest measure, and Beshear's veto, sets the table for keeping the issue front and center in this year’s election, when many GOP lawmakers face reelection themselves.

Republican House Speaker David Osborne said he was “outraged and saddened" by the veto.

“Make no mistake, the governor had a choice and he used it to defend the indefensible," he said.

Cameron denounced the veto as “reprehensible" and “an affront to the people of Kentucky."

In his veto message, Beshear focused on the “born-alive" sections of the legislation. He said existing Kentucky law already fully protects newborns from being denied life-saving care. Beshear, a former state attorney general, added that similar measures have been struck down elsewhere.

“During this worldwide health pandemic, it is simply not the time for a divisive set of lawsuits that reduce our unity and our focus on defeating the...