No one should be afraid to see a doctor, ask questions about their health, or make personal medical decisions in private. But in Kentucky today, fear is exactly what’s spreading—especially for those who need reproductive health care.

That’s why we strongly support House Bill 23, filed by Rep. Lindsey Burke. This vital legislation would help stop the criminalization of people who seek or provide abortion care where it's legal, and would block law enforcement from misusing private medical records to investigate patients.

The bill comes in the wake of the shocking indictment of Melinda Spencer, a woman in Campton who was charged with fetal homicide, abuse of a corpse, and other serious crimes after taking abortion medication at home. Though the most extreme charge has been dropped, she still faces prosecution simply for seeking care and disclosing what happened. Her case sent a chilling message across the state: if you need help after an abortion, you could go to jail for asking.

House Bill 23 doesn’t change Kentucky’s abortion ban. What it does is protect people from being surveilled, prosecuted, or punished for their private medical decisions—especially when they cross state lines to access legal care elsewhere. It ensures that doctors and nurses won’t face retaliation for helping patients. And it gives Kentuckians back a measure of dignity in a climate where reproductive health is treated like a crime scene.

Let’s be clear: banning abortion didn’t stop people from needing it. But it has made them more afraid to get care, more isolated in moments of crisis, and more at risk.

This legislation is a common-sense, compassionate step toward restoring basic rights. Kentucky’s lawmakers have a choice: either fuel more fear and criminalization, or pass HB 23 and protect the people they were elected to serve.

Sign this petition to demand that the Kentucky General Assembly pass House Bill 23 and take a stand for medical privacy, human dignity, and reproductive freedom.