The Lexington Herald-Leader reports on the effort by advocates to persuade Kentucky legislators to enact a law that would help victims of dating violence to get protective orders. Currently, 40 states extend that protection; in Kentucky, protective orders are given only to people who are married, have lived together or have a child together.
The fight is back in the spotlight because of the September shooting death of Amanda Ross, a Lexington woman allegedly killed by her former boyfriend, former legislator Steve Nunn. Ross was able to obtain a protective order against Nunn because they had lived together briefly. But thousands of other women, young and old, are not.