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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Republican Daniel Cameron expressed sympathy for a lady who mentioned the trauma of being raped by her stepfather in a robust marketing campaign advert, however stated he nonetheless helps Kentucky’s present abortion ban that requires comparable victims of rape and incest to hold their pregnancies to time period.
Throughout a Monday evening look on Spectrum Information 1, Cameron stated his “coronary heart goes out” to the “younger woman,” and he expressed appreciation that she shared her story with him within the current business launched by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s marketing campaign.
Hadley Duvall, the Kentuckian proven within the advert, sounded unmoved by Cameron’s expression of empathy, responding: “It wasn’t actually to share my story simply with him. It was to offer victims a voice that they want.”
“Daniel Cameron stated himself that he can not comprehend how traumatic the expertise was for me,” she stated in a cellphone interview Tuesday. “And he’s proper. So I simply need to know why he feels so entitled to drive victims who’ve tales like mine to hold a child of their rapist? It must be their alternative.”
The advert went viral after its launch final month, placing the talk about abortion exceptions on the forefront of the Kentucky governor’s race. Cameron has been wrestling with the complexities of the brand new period of abortion politics, showing to redefine his place on Kentucky’s strict anti-abortion legislation twice inside two weeks. It’s one other signal Republicans are scrambling to seek out their footing on the problem because the U.S. Supreme Courtroom overturned Roe v. Wade final 12 months.
In the course of the Monday evening TV program, Cameron repeatedly tried to attach Beshear, who’s in search of a second time period, to Democratic President Joe Biden, following a GOP technique in pink states. As Kentucky’s lawyer basic, Cameron has joined quite a few lawsuits by GOP attorneys basic to problem Biden insurance policies.
“On difficulty after difficulty when management has been wanted to face as much as Joe Biden, I‘ve led the cost,” Cameron stated throughout his solo look on this system after Beshear declined to take part.
The GOP nominee confused his assist for phasing out the state’s particular person revenue tax and requiring some able-bodied Kentucky adults to work in trade for well being protection via Medicaid.
He lambasted Beshear for vetoing transgender payments — one banning gender-affirming take care of younger transgender individuals and one other barring transgender women and girls from taking part at school sports activities matching their gender identification. The GOP-dominated legislature overrode each vetoes.
However the latest wrinkle got here when Cameron spoke on to Duvall with out mentioning her by identify.
Within the advert, Duvall talks about having been raped by her stepfather when she was 12 years previous. Duvall, now in her early 20s, grew to become pregnant however miscarried. The stepfather was convicted of rape and is in jail. Within the advert, Duvall stated that “anybody who believes there must be no exceptions for rape and incest might by no means perceive what it’s like to face in my footwear.”
Responding Monday evening, Cameron stated: “I can not comprehend simply how traumatic that have was. And my coronary heart goes out to her, and I would like her to know that.”
It was in distinction to Cameron’s preliminary response two weeks in the past, when he lashed out on the advert with out mentioning Duvall. That spurred a Louisville Courier Journal columnist to jot down that Cameron was performing like he was the sufferer.
On Tuesday, Duvall stated she didn’t view Cameron’s remarks towards her as heartfelt, pointing to Cameron’s preliminary counterattack.
The advert recognized Duvall as “Hadley” from Owensboro. The Related Press doesn’t usually determine sexual assault victims, however Duvall selected to be recognized and has spoken out publicly about what she skilled and its connection to the talk over abortion.
Twice through the Monday evening program, Cameron reaffirmed his assist for the present Kentucky legislation, which bans all abortions besides when carried out to avoid wasting a pregnant girl’s life or to stop a disabling harm. He additionally expressed assist for the legislation at a GOP main debate in March.
Final month, Cameron stated he’d signal a invoice including rape and incest exceptions, however quickly appeared to take a extra hardline stand, indicating he’d assist such exceptions “if the courts made us change that legislation.”
Requested for his place Monday evening, Cameron replied: “What I’ve stated is that if one thing have been to occur and the legislation was required to be modified and we needed to have further exceptions, I would definitely signal these exceptions.”
Democrats on Tuesday accused Cameron of doubling down in assist of the present legislation. Beshear has denounced the near-total abortion ban as extremist, pointing to the dearth of rape and incest exceptions.
Cameron has tried shifting the main focus to Beshear’s assist of abortion rights. Final 12 months, Beshear vetoed a invoice that included a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of being pregnant, nevertheless it was overridden by lawmakers. As soon as Roe v. Wade was overturned, the state’s set off legislation — handed in 2019 — took impact to ban practically all abortions.
Duvall stated Tuesday that she sees Cameron’s assist of the present ban as untenable.
“It’s nonetheless unthinkable to inform a toddler, or anybody for that matter, that they will need to have the newborn of someone who rapes them,” she stated.
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