Kentucky Right to Life enters a new, exciting phase of its outreach and growth, led by Addia Wuchner.
Addia, a Louisville native, served in the House of Representatives, District 66, for Boone County and Kentucky citizens from 2005 until 2019. She was the first woman in Ky to be appointed Chair of the House Standing Committee on Health and Family Services.
She is an unwavering pro-life, pro-family and pro-woman advocate who has championed the human rights of the unborn child and women’s right to know, the healthcare right to make a completely informed decision before giving consent to abortion.
From the inception, drafting and presentation of the Ultrasound Bill (2017 Ky House Bill 2) to its final vindication by the U.S. Supreme Court, Addia promoted this critical piece of pro-life legislation across the finish line. For the first time in history, women who seek an abortion in Kentucky now must be given the opportunity to see who will be aborted and to hear the fetal heartbeat before a final decision is made.
In 2018 she penned The Human Rights of the Child Act - ‘Dismemberment Abortion’ bill, banning live dismemberment abortions in the Commonwealth. The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower Court injunction, but Attorney General Cameron is committed to pursuing a challenge to the ruling.
During her tenure in the Kentucky General Assembly she served on the Economic Development and Workforce Committee, Banking and Insurance and Budget Subcommittee for Human Services Committee, Appropriations and Revenue, Education and Workforce Development, Tourism, Transportation, and numerous task forces and working groups including the Healthy Babies Council.
In 2006, Representative Wuchner worked tirelessly to ensure that her child pornography legislation became law, raising the offense of child pornography in Kentucky from a Misdemeanor to a Class D Felony.
In 2010 after months of work, her Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma Act, the “Shaken Baby Prevention” bill, passed and became model legislation for child abuse prevention.
Working across the aisle, in 2013 she co-sponsored HB 3, the Kentucky Human Trafficking Victims Right Act, which successfully passed, sending a clear message that this modern day slavery has no place in Kentucky.
A long-time advocate for dyslexia awareness and ensuring Kentucky students early identification and appropriate interventions, she championed both the 2012 Kentucky’s Response to Intervention Act and the 2018 Ready to Read Act.
Her dedication as a servant leader has also been demonstrated in her work as a businesswoman, bioethicist, registered nurse, community leader, and humanitarian mission director. She has placed her life in the service of others throughout the Commonwealth and abroad.
Thomas More University awarded her an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters in recognition of her overall contributions in bioethics, rights of the unborn, and international humanitarian aid.
Addia served six years on the Northern Kentucky Independent Health Department Board of Directors with passion and energy to improve both the economic and physical well-being of all Kentucky citizens, especially our most vulnerable citizens, children.
She is a member of the 2007 Class of Leadership Kentucky and is an alumni of the 2005 Toll Fellows Program (Quest for Excellence) which recognizes excellence in public leaders.
Addia is a Registered Nurse and has been a dedicated healthcare professional for over 36 years, recognized for her contributions in advancing the role of bioethics in healthcare and public policy. She began her career as a nurse at St. Anthony Hospital in Louisville.
She served as Vice President of Strategic Planning for the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati and Senior Director of Corporate Relations for the St. Luke Hospitals for eight years.
Her faith and mission-driven vision have taken her around the globe, at times to places few would venture. She was the founder and missions director for Project Wings Of Mercy, International Medical and Humanitarian Aid, completing nine missions to war-torn Bosnia and Croatia during the 1991-94 conflict.
Other missions include: medical aid and disaster relief to New Orleans following hurricane Katrina, annual specialty surgical missions to Mexico, and disaster relief missions to Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Addia and her husband Jan have three children, 12 grandchildren and a lovable Wheaten Terrier named Buddy.
The happy expression, “Our prayers have been answered!” describes the KRLA board members’ delight in sharing this wonderful news with our members and friends. Special thanks go to the Search Committee headed by Louisville RTL President Cathie Young.
Addia officially joined KRLA on January 22, 2021, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.