Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear attacked former President Donald Trump's record on abortion rights as he spoke at the first night of the Democratic National Convention on Monday.
“Their policies give rapists more rights than their victims. That's not inconvenient. It's just plain wrong,” Beshear said to a packed crowd at the United Center.
Hadley Duvall, a young woman from Owensboro who survived rape and sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather as a child, shared her story before introducing Beshear, whom she campaigned for during his reelection effort last year.
“At age 12, I took my first pregnancy test, and it was positive. That was the first time I was ever told, ‘You have options,’” Duvall said. “I can't imagine not having a choice, but today, that's the reality for many women and girls across the country because of Donald Trump's abortion bans.”
Duvall referenced Trump saying it’s “a beautiful thing to watch” as states enacted their own anti-abortion laws in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
“What is so beautiful about a child having to carry her parent’s child?” Duvall asked. “There are other survivors out there who have no options, and I want you to know that we see you, we hear you.”
Beshear thanked Duvall for her bravery and blamed Trump for Kentucky’s near total abortion ban, which does not have exceptions for rape, incest or nonviable pregnancies.
“That fails any test of humanity, any test of basic decency, any test of whether you have any underlying empathy,” Beshear said. “Thankfully, this extremism is being soundly rejected all over our country.”
Beshear beat former Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron by about 5 percentage points last year, widening the narrow margin by which he first won the office. Beshear partially credited his win to his support for abortion access and rejection of “extremism.”
“I beat Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell's hand-picked candidate by more than five percentage points,” Beshear said. “This November, we're going to beat them again. Elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz and protect reproductive freedom.”
Beshear also spoke on bipartisanship — a common refrain throughout his governorship — saying that independents and Republicans are “welcome here.” Beshear said Biden and Harris were there for Kentucky when natural disasters, including deadly tornadoes and flooding, hit the state during Beshear’s first term.
“They both called to ask how they could help Kentucky in recovering from natural disasters. They helped us improve our roads, our bridges, and invested in our people,” Beshear said. “They didn't ask me who Kentuckians voted for. They asked me what Kentuckians needed and, folks, they delivered.”
Vice President Kamala Harris vetted Beshear as a potential running mate before she eventually settled on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Beshear has continued to campaign across the country since Harris became the party’s presumptive nominee, raising his profile nationally.
Since being passed over for this year’s ticket, Beshear has been adamant he intends to stay in Kentucky, in the governor’s mansion, until the end of his term.
State government and politics reporting is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
