New Bill in Kentucky Gives the Bluegrass State Another Chance to Defend Life. Will Baptists Support it?
The battle for life in Kentucky has reached a crucial moment.
HB 523, the “Equal Protection and Equal Justice Bill,” calls for what Southern Baptists have long affirmed in doctrine and practice—securing equal protection under the law for all human life, including the pre-born. This is not just another pro-life bill; it is a defining stand for justice.
If passed, HB 523 would simply “grant the same legal status to children inside the womb as those outside the womb.” This would ensure that pre-born children receive the same legal protection as born children—finally ending abortion in Kentucky once and for all.
This bill is biblical. It’s Christian. And it provides true justice, not socially acceptable half-measures, for the pre-born.
And now, Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has publicly affirmed this bill. In a clear statement of support, he declared:
“Equal protection for the unborn. Good news about an important new bill in the Kentucky House of Representatives. Life demands full respect at every stage of human development. Full stop.”
In response to Mohler’s endorsement, Southern Baptist pastor, Oklahoma State Senator, and leading voice in the abortion abolitionist movement Dusty Deevers said, “Dr. Mohler is one of the most influential living evangelicals. I am very thankful for his endorsement of the Kentucky abolition bill.”
Likewise, Todd Gray, executive director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, affirmed the importance of this bill, stating:
“I am glad to see HB 523 filed as it gets to the root of the pro-life issue — extending the same rights to pre-born boys and girls as are recognized for those who are born. Messengers at the 2024 Kentucky Baptist Convention Annual Meeting stated that we wanted to see these rights recognized, and I ask Kentucky Baptists to pray for the passage of this bill.”
This is no longer just a grassroots movement. It is now a call to action from some of the most influential leaders in Southern Baptist life.
Yet, despite this overwhelming support, Republican leadership in Kentucky is threatening to stall this bill, keeping it from ever being heard on the House floor. That cannot be allowed to happen. Southern Baptists in Kentucky—and across the nation—must demand that HB 523 be brought forward and passed.
Justice Instructs a Culture
Some within the pro-life movement hesitate when it comes to the justice component of this bill. They are comfortable advocating for equal protection in theory, but when it comes to actually ensuring justice for pre-born children under the law, they grow fearful. But that fear is misplaced.
Justice teaches a society what is right and wrong. Laws are not merely rules; they are moral instructors. Scripture itself testifies to this truth: “When the judgments of the Lord are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9). A culture will always learn from its laws. The question is, what is it learning?
For decades, our nation has been taught—by its laws—that pre-born children are not fully human. That is why people have tolerated their mass slaughter. The absence of legal consequences has not only permitted abortion but has trained our society to see it as morally acceptable. The only way to correct this is for the law to reflect the truth—that pre-born children are full human beings, deserving of the same protection and justice as the born.
HB 523 does exactly that.
The Myth of the “Victim” Narrative
For far too long, the pro-life movement has tolerated an inconsistency: it rightly calls abortion the murder of a child, yet it exempts one of the key participants—the mother—from moral and legal responsibility. This is not how we treat any other act of murder.
Consider this: if a mother smothered her newborn in the crib, no one would hesitate to hold her accountable. If she drowned her toddler in the bathtub, no one would excuse her by claiming she was a “victim” of economic hardship or personal struggle. Society recognizes that killing a born child is a heinous crime—because it is.
Yet, when it comes to the pre-born, the same mother is often viewed as only a victim, never a perpetrator. This contradiction must end. If the pre-born child is a full human being, as Scripture teaches and as science confirms, then the intentional act of ending that life is not just a tragedy—it is a moral and legal crime.
HB 523 corrects this inconsistency. It brings the law in line with reality by ensuring that all human life is equally protected from conception onward. And that will change the culture. A law that affirms justice for the pre-born will teach the next generation that the pre-born are truly children, not choices.
A Call to Southern Seminary Professors, Pastors, and Students
As the flagship seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has a unique responsibility to lead on this issue. Professors shape the theological convictions of future pastors. Pastors disciple their congregations in truth and righteousness. Students prepare for a lifetime of ministry in a world that demands moral clarity.
This is the moment for the faculty, staff, and students of Southern Seminary to boldly declare what they believe—that all life is created in the image of God and deserves protection. It is time for Southern Baptists in Kentucky and across the nation to raise their voices in support of HB 523 and call upon their legislators to stand for justice.
Silence is not an option. Neutrality is not possible. Either the pre-born are fully human, or they are not. Either abortion is murder, or it is not. If we truly believe what we confess—that every human being, from conception onward, bears the image of God—then we must demand equal protection under the law.
That’s why Dr. Mohler’s endorsement is so important. By leading on this issue, he has given “permission” for the rest of the influential members of the faculty at SBTS to join him in supporting this bill.
As such, I’m thankful that SBTS ethics professor Andrew Walker signaled his support for this bill’s passage in a statement on X on Thursday, February 20: “The moral principle is clear: Law should protect human beings equally at all stages of life. It is criminal to murder life outside the womb, so logic demands that it is criminal to murder life inside the womb, too.”
SBTS has considerable influence over hundreds of pastors and thousands of Baptists in Kentucky. Will others follow Walker’s and Mohler’s lead and call for the Kentucky legislature to pass this bill before the legislative session ends?
Time is ticking.
Now Is the Time to Act
Kentucky has an opportunity to lead. Yes, this bill will face opposition from those who claim to be pro-life while opposing true justice for the pre-born. But Southern Baptists must not waver. Every professor, pastor, and student who believes in the sanctity of life should speak out now—not after the bill has been defeated, not after political pressure has silenced the weak-hearted, but now, while there is still time.
Kentucky Republican leadership must hear this loud and clear: HB 523 must not be delayed or tabled. It must be heard on the floor and passed.
HB 523 makes the progress that all pro-lifers want—the complete protection of innocent life. Now is the time to act. If we believe life begins at conception, our laws should reflect it. Let’s stop regulating abortion and start ending it.
Pray for courage. Call your legislators. Write your leaders. Preach boldly.
HB 523 must pass, and the unborn must be protected—not just in Kentucky but across the nation.
