Via press release from Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates
Frankfort, KY – Eighty-five health care providers from across Kentucky have issued a powerful plea to Governor Andy Beshear, urging him to veto House Bill 90, a dangerous piece of legislation that threatens patient safety, medical autonomy, and access to essential reproductive care.
In an open letter, providers condemned the bill’s Abortion Substitute Language, which was rushed through the legislature without transparency or meaningful input from the medical community. Rather than improving patient care, the bill introduces vague exceptions and increased legal risks that could delay or deny life-saving treatment.
Statements from medical professionals
Dr. Caitlin Thomas, OB/GYN: “This bill, originally designed to allow for free-standing birthing centers to respond to the maternal health care crisis has been hijacked to provide unnecessary and harmful anti-abortion language. This will be harmful to the patient/ physician relationship and further erode a patient's medical autonomy. This language is opposed by organizations such as ACOG and will further exacerbate the maternal health care crisis, not help it.”
Dr. April Halleron MD: “As a physician, I have dedicated years of my life — years of rigorous education, training, and real-world experience — to providing the best possible care for my patients. Yet with HB 90, politicians who have never stepped foot in a medical school classroom are once again inserting themselves into the exam room, overriding science, medical ethics, and common sense.
“This bill does nothing to clarify the dangerous legal uncertainty that has already put lives at risk in Kentucky. It does not make it safer for doctors to provide care, nor does it ensure that patients facing medical emergencies will get the treatment they need. Instead, it adds to the confusion, the fear, and the chilling effect that is already forcing physicians to hesitate when every second matters.
“HB 90 is an insult to the medical community and a direct threat to the health of pregnant Kentuckians. This is not how medicine is supposed to work. Patients should not have to wonder if their doctor is more afraid of the law than committed to their care. And I should not have to second-guess my ability to do the job I trained for simply because lawmakers would rather exert control than provide real solutions.”
Dr. Dana Settles, MD: “I stand with women, patients, and OB/GYN physicians. I support confidential care, science-based treatment, and best practice guidelines that uphold medical standards and ensure a safe environment for all. Every patient deserves access to the full spectrum of care provided by qualified health care professionals.
“Freedom of religion is a fundamental right in this country, and with it comes the responsibility to uphold the separation of church and state. When politicians invent terms such as fetal maternal separation in pursuit of personal beliefs that have no basis in medicine, the problem of gender disparity in health care is exacerbated, reinforced, and redefined in many ways, but the most evident is that no other area of health is as politicized as when it pertains to women.”
Statement from Tamarra Wieder
Tamarra Wieder, Kentucky State Director, Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates: “The providers who have signed this letter — and countless others who have sworn an oath to do no harm — are the only ones who should be making medical decisions in the exam room, not politicians pushing an extreme agenda. Patients’ lives should never be subject to political interference.
“HB 90 isn’t about improving Kentucky’s cruel abortion ban – it’s about cementing the dangerous and false narrative that abortion is never medically necessary. This bill deliberately endangers pregnant people by forcing life-threatening delays in care, compelling doctors to perform riskier procedures, and stripping providers of the ability to act in the best interest of their patients. The more than 80, medical professionals who signed this veto letter are making it clear: HB 90 is a direct threat to patient safety, and it must be stopped.”
More information
HB 90 also replaces existing legal language with a more stringent standard, allowing judges to second-guess clinical decision-making in medical emergencies. Experts warn that this will further restrict access to emergency abortion care, despite claims from supporters that it expands protections.
The letter to the governor emphasizes that Kentucky already has the second-highest maternal mortality rate in the nation – a crisis that will only be exacerbated by policies rooted in ideology rather than medical evidence.
With overwhelming support from medical professionals, providers are calling on Governor Beshear to immediately veto HB 90 in its entirety and reject efforts to further compromise patient care in Kentucky.
The open letter to Gov. Beshear and the Kentucky General Assembly regarding House Bill 90
As dedicated health care providers, we urgently request that you reject House Bill 90 and its dangerous Abortion Substitute Language. Passed in less than 24 hours — without transparency or meaningful input from those on the frontlines of care — this bill does nothing to improve patient safety or access to necessary abortion care in Kentucky. Rather, it will only further undermine patient safety, medical autonomy, and the scientific standards that guide our practice.
Decades of rigorous research confirm that restrictive policies create barriers to essential care. The vague exceptions embedded in this bill, coupled with the looming threat of criminal liability, force providers and hospital administrators’ into inaction. This chilling effect not only endangers patients but also undermines the trust placed in us as experts in reproductive health.
House Bill 90 is not rooted in patient care – it is a deliberate effort to impose a belief system unsupported by science. By codifying language that distinguishes abortions from so-called “procedures that require separating the pregnant woman from her unborn child,” House Bill 90 advances misleading and dangerous anti-abortion propaganda. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has acknowledged that this phrase is “used by abortion opponents to justify or to mandate performing medical procedures that carry more risk for the patient, such as cesarean deliveries or inductions of labor, rather than abortion.” It is out of line with medical standards.
The proponents of this bill incorrectly suggest that it will expand access to abortion in medical emergencies. Unfortunately, the bill offers no such shelter. In fact, HB 90 imposes a more stringent standard on providers responding to medical emergencies. It replaces language in current law that offers some deference to providers with a legal standard that allows judges to second guess clinical decision-making. Contrary to the message of its sponsors, this bill will further constrict access to emergency abortion care.
Every pregnant person deserves access to comprehensive, medically accurate information and a full range of care options, especially when faced with a fetal anomaly or an emergency. Political forces must not compromise the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship or the quality of care our communities desperately need.
Kentucky’s maternal mortality rate is alarmingly high at second in the nation, and our patients cannot afford policies that offer nothing but false hope. We demand real, evidence-based solutions that prioritize patient health over political ideology.
We call on Governor Beshear and every member of the General Assembly to immediately reject House Bill 90 in its entirety. Our patients’ lives and our professional integrity demand nothing less.
Sincerely,
- Majorie FitzGerald, MD
- Lucas Banter, MD, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
- Shelby Dugan, MD
- Maria Schweichler, MD FACOG, OBGYN
- Caitlin Thomas, MD, OBGYN
- Udaya Joseph, MD, Hematology/Oncology
- Avi Hahn, MD, OBGYN
- Meredith Loveless, MD, OBGYN
- Joanne Brown, DNP, APRN. WHNP-C, FNP-C, Gynecological Focus
- Ashima Gupta, MD
- Clayton Smith, MD FACP, Internal Medicine
- Katie Wheeler, MS, RD, LD
- Dana Settles, MD
- Talitha Jones, MD, OBGYN
- Mary Hoben, MD
- Rebecca Terry, MD, OBGYN
- April Halleron, MD, Family Practice
- Shannon Thomas, MD, OBGYN
- Resad Paya Pasic, MD, OBGYN
- Ashlee Bergin, MD, MPH, OBGYN
- Cynthia Rigby, MD, MA, FACOG, OBGYN
- Laura Bishop, MD, FACP, FAAP, Internal Medicine & Pediatrics Hospitalist
- Bianca Ummat, MD, Cardiology
- Holly Brown, PhD, Licensed Psychologist
- Carmellia Jackson, MSSW, CSW
- Brenda Rosen, MSW, CSW
- April Smith English, Marriage and Family Therapy Associate
- Marina Latiff, RN, Retired.
- Jou Rodgerson, Retired, Pathology
- Bakula Sheth, MD, Family Medicine
- Cheryl Havrilesko, PT
- Sabrina Tucker, CNM-APRN, Gynecology
- Ernest Marshal, MD, OBGYN
- Kristi Horlander, MD, OBGYN
- Hannah Bennet, MD, OBGYN
- Tenley McKee, MD, OBGYN
- Claire Ellen Cowley, MD, FAAP, Pediatrics
- Karen Graves, Ph.D., Clinical Psychology
- Michael Gruenthal, MD, PhD
- Janelle Adeniran, MD
- Angela Singla, MD, OBGYN
- Andrea Tucker, MD FACOG, OBGYN
- Sara Multerer, MD
- Denise Puthuff, MD
- Nancy Buechler, CRNA, Surgery
- Jessica Deis, MSN, APRN, CNM, WHNP-BC, SANE-A, (nurse midwife & women's health nurse practitioner)
- Julia Buechler, MS, Third Year Medical Student
- Frank Burns, MD
- Meagan Schaeffner, MD, Internal Medicine
- Rachel Saunders, MD, OBGYN
- Jessica Arnold, CRNA
- Crystal Labbato, DNP, APRN, AGCNS-BC, Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Rebecca Tamas, MD
- Karen Abrams, MD, Pediatrician
- Carolyn Burns, MD,
- Miranda Bencomo, MD, Pediatrician
- Judith Axelrod, MD
- Dhruv Sharma, MD
- Jessica Kline, MD, OBGYN
- Mary Gordinier, MD, Gynecologic Oncology
- Robin Rouse, APRN, ANP-BC
- Katherine Durnen, MD
- Terri Erwin, MD
- Carol Touma, MD
- Eli Pendleton, MD, Family Medicine
- Mary Langford, RN
- Erica Mamauag, MD
- Megan Hoskins, APRN-BC
- Christine Cook, MD, OBGYN
- Michael Ferguson, MD
**15 provider names have been removed from the public version of this letter for fear of retribution and/or employer agreements for participation in public statements.
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