Deborah Yetter | Courier Journal

Valeria Merino/Courier-Journal/USA Today Network

Amid major legislative efforts to restrict or end abortion in Kentucky, a new poll commissioned by Planned Parenthood finds a majority of likely Kentucky voters believe the procedure should remain available.

Asked whether it's important for women in Kentucky to have "access to all of the reproductive health care options available, including abortion," 65% said yes, according to the poll.

Also, 65% said they would have doubts about a law that bans abortion, even in cases of rape or incest, should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case legalizing abortion.

Just 18% said they believe all abortions should be illegal — though another 37% said abortion should be allowed only in "extreme cases," such as for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest or to save the life of the woman. And 43% said abortion should be legal with some regulations.

Abortion has become a battleground in the governor's race, with incumbent Gov. Matt Bevin, an anti-abortion Republican, attacking Democrat Andy Beshear over his support for abortion rights.

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And abortion dominated this year's session of the Kentucky General Assembly, with Republicans who control both the House and Senate pushing through four bills meant to restrict or ban abortion.

Abortion opponents dismissed the poll's findings.

"I don't believe anything Planned Parenthood says," said state Sen. Matt Castlen, an Owensboro Republican and sponsor of the "fetal heartbeat" law enacted this year. "When I look at Kentucky as a whole, I feel like we are a very, very pro-life state."

The fetal heartbeat law bans abortion once cardiac activity is detected, usually around six weeks into a pregnancy. It is one of two laws enacted in 2019 that have been blocked temporarily by legal challenges.

But Rep. Attica Scott, a Louisville Democrat and supporter of abortion rights, said she thinks the poll reflects views of Kentuckians rather than those of the predominantly male legislature.

"I definitely learned in my three years years in Frankfort that most of the men in Frankfort are out of touch with people in Kentucky, especially when it comes to reproductive health rights," Scott said.

And Treasure Mackley, an executive with Planned Parenthood, which provides reproductive health care, stands behind the work of the independent polling firm it hired.

"This was a poll we did to find out where Kentucky voters stand," Mackley said. "It was based on sound methodology. It’s good, solid information."

The Planned Parenthood poll mirrors similar findings about abortion in national polls, including a recent USA TODAY/Ipsos poll that found people have conflicted opinions about abortion but overall support access. It found 55% of Americans believe abortion should remain legal and 37% believe it should be illegal.

The USA TODAY poll also found that Americans oppose fetal heartbeat bills, such as the one passed this year in Kentucky and four other states, 55-45%. And by about 3-to-1, Americans oppose seeing all abortion facilities in their states closed.

The only abortion clinics in Missouri and Kentucky both have been threatened by potential closure through state enforcement actions.

Both the USA TODAY and Planned Parenthood polls show voters are deeply divided along political lines, with Republicans more likely to oppose abortion and Democrats more likely to support abortion rights.

Among other findings of the Planned Parenthood poll conducted June 4-11:

Beshear has a 15-point lead over incumbent Bevin in the governor's race. Asked if the election were held today, 51% said they would vote for Beshear and 36% for Bevin.

Bevin, who already is ranked as the nation's least popular governor, is viewed unfavorably by 48% and favorably by 38% of Kentuckians polled. Beshear, the state's attorney general, was viewed favorably by 46% and unfavorably by 38%.

Voters were evenly divided about candidates who vote to restrict abortion, with 40% more likely and 41% less likely to vote for that person.

Planned Parenthood has about the same favorable rating among Kentuckians, at 54%, as Kentucky Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, at 58%, within the poll's 4% margin of error.

And 86% support comprehensive, medically accurate sex education in public schools that includes information on abstinence, birth control and sexually transmitted diseases.

A campaign spokesman for Bevin didn't respond to a request for comment.

Beshear campaign spokesman Sam Newton declined to comment without seeing the poll.

Margie Montgomery, executive director of Kentucky Right to Life, said that while her group hasn't done any polling in Kentucky, she is skeptical of any results from an organization that backs abortion rights.

"I wouldn’t put all my trust in it," Montgomery said.

The Kentucky poll of 500 registered voters was conducted by Lake Research Partners, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that works for Democratic candidates and progressive organizations. It included about half Democrats, half Republicans and a smaller number of voters who said they were independent or who didn't identify a party.

It was commissioned by Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii. In February, Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky joined the larger, better-funded Northwest arm of the organization.

Mackley, a vice president with the organization, said Planned Parenthood decided to poll in Kentucky in order to get a better understanding of where voters stand, in particular on services the organization provides, including exams, cancer screenings, birth control and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.

In Indiana, Planned Parenthood offers abortion services. It does not in Kentucky, though it is seeking to do so, leading to a court battle with the Bevin administration over its application for a license to offer abortions at its clinic in Louisville.

"I want to get some more information and hear from people in Kentucky directly about how they feel about the issues," Mackley said.

Mackley said the poll tells her Planned Parenthood's services have support despite political rhetoric.