Presentations by Rep. Nancy Tate and KRTL's Addia Wuchner were made before the Ky Interim Joint Committee on Health, Welfare & Family Services Hearing on Dec. 15. ObGyn Dr. Ingrid Skop joined the presentation virtually. Those opposed to the Bill also had opportunity to speak. Planned Parenthood, the ACLU and UofL were represented at the hearing. Learn more.

UPDATE on August 21, 2021

Images from the Press Conference | Yes for Life Facebook Video | Yes for Life on TARC! | WLKY TV reports | News Enterprise reports

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Original post

Louisville, KY. (August 20, 2021)

The Yes for Life Alliance launched its campaign today to pass a prolife Constitutional Amendment affirming there is no right to an abortion or the funding of abortions in Kentucky. Yes for Life Chair Addia Wuchner and Vice Chair Angela Minter hosted a press conference at the Kentucky State Fair to introduce the new organization alongside Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles.

“Kentuckians of faith and conscience have the incredible opportunity to make our Constitution reflect our prolife values with their vote on November 8, 2022,” said Wuchner. “The Yes for Life Alliance will encourage voters across the Commonwealth to use their ballot to stand up for the most vulnerable Kentuckians— our unborn children. We are so grateful to the courageous leaders in the General Assembly who passed legislation and gave us this chance to be clear that there is no right to an abortion or the funding for abortion in Kentucky.”

In March, the Kentucky General Assembly passed HB 91, which provided for the Yes for Life Constitutional Amendment to appear on the November 2022 ballot. The Amendment, if ratified, will prevent state judges from reading abortion rights into the Constitution and asserting their own politics over the will of the people.

“The Yes for Life Constitutional Amendment is the final piece of the puzzle to make Kentucky a prolife state,” said Minter. “We ask for the prayers and support of all Kentuckians as we embark on this journey to strengthen our Constitution. We will work in every corner of our Commonwealth, urging everyone to vote Yes for Life. Together, we can end the culture of death and make Kentucky lead the nation in defending the defenseless.”

“Kentuckians are proud to be prolife and the Yes for Life amendment is one more way they can stand up for the dignity of life,” Commissioner Quarles said. “As a former legislator with a strong prolife voting record, I am proud to be here today to help spread an important message across the commonwealth: on November 8, 2022, Kentuckians can cast one of the most important votes of their lives and say Yes for Life at the ballot box.”

Kentucky State Treasurer Allison Ball shared a video endorsing Yes for Life.

Yes for Life Founding Members include Kentucky Right to Life, Sisters for Life, The Family Foundation, the Catholic Conference of Kentucky, the Kentucky Baptist Convention and the Commonwealth Policy Center.

For more information on the Yes for Life Alliance, please visit YesforLifeKY.com and follow the organization’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube pages.

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 6^th 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.