Louisville mayoral election: Bill Dieruf says Craig Greenberg is lying in abortion ad

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision this summer, Louisville mayoral candidate Bill Dieruf, a Republican, largely avoided answering questions on the issue of abortion while his Democratic opponent Craig Greenberg pledged to direct police and prosecutors to not go after doctors and women who may violate Kentucky's abortion ban.

But Dieruf spoke up more forcefully Tuesday, mainly in response to Greenberg's campaign releasing a TV ad in September featuring women describing Dieruf as "backed by anti-choice extremists" because the Republican's campaign has received a donation from a leader of Right to Life Louisville.

"Throughout this campaign, I have been focused on issues that are within the purview of the Louisville Mayor’s race. Mr. Greenberg and his campaign are injecting a national issue into this race in an attempt to confuse voters on what is clearly a state and national issue," said Dieruf, the mayor of suburban Jeffersontown. "There are so many local issues that deserve to be addressed — like safety, housing, jobs, economic development and drug addiction among others that the Louisville Mayor can have an impact on."

"I am focused on uniting the community," Dieruf said. "However, Mr. Greenberg cites Roe v. Wade for one purpose, and that is to divide us and polarize our community further while bringing up a national and state level issue. That is misguided. If he is willing to divide us to get elected, how can we trust that he will unite us if he is elected? Mr. Greenberg is completely lost when it comes to understanding the role of a mayor."

Dieruf proceeded to assail Greenberg "for the untruths he has put out about me."

Greenberg responded Tuesday afternoon by saying Dieruf "is wrong — this is about prioritizing public safety."

"Our police officers should be focused on keeping our city safe, not arresting doctors, nurses or patients," Greenberg said in a statement. "Extreme politicians like Bill Dieruf want to have it both ways on a woman's right to control her own body. Republican Bill Dieruf is supported by anti-abortion extremists who pushed Frankfort's extreme ban on abortion, with no exceptions for rape and incest. He then turns around and says it’s not an issue for our community. That is nonsense and Bill Dieruf knows it."

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Under Kentucky's trigger law, which is the subject of a legal challenge but took effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, anyone who performs an abortion or administers medication to terminate a pregnancy can be charged with a class D felony, punishable by one to five years in prison, unless the procedure is medically necessary because the pregnancy puts the woman's life at risk.

The patient who received the abortion is not subject to penalties under the law.

Greenberg, an attorney who is the former CEO of 21c Museum Hotels and co-owner of Ohio Valley Wrestling, said in June that if he wins election in November and succeeds Mayor Greg Fischer, "our city's police will not be the enforcement arm of a ban on reproductive healthcare, be it abortion or other medical decisions."

The 30-second television ad from the campaign for Greenberg, who is endorsed by Planned Parenthood, features several women saying Dieruf is supported by "extremists who want to completely outlaw abortion." (Kentucky Registry of Election Finance records show Dieruf received a $250 donation in August 2021 from Right to Life Louisville's executive director.)

“Dieruf won’t say if he’ll stop Louisville police from arresting women seeking abortions, or even the doctors performing them,” the women say in the ad. “Craig Greenberg values women. He respects us.”

Dieruf criticized the ad Tuesday, also calling Greenberg "the handpicked successor to the current old money, establishment leadership."

"Mr. Greenberg’s ad makes it sound like I’m going to have police hunting down pregnant women and doctors. Nothing could be further from the truth," Dieruf said. "In my view, if doctors are not following the law, it’s up to the medical licensure board to hold them accountable. Meanwhile, Mr. Greenberg likes to tout his endorsement by Planned Parenthood — a group that has publicly stated its support for defunding the police."

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"The sanctity of life is a personal issue for me," Dieruf added. "My wife, Jody, and I had a daughter named Stephanie who was born three months early. She lived for 18 months. We know how precious life is based on losing our young child. No parent should have to bury a child. We cherish the short time we had with Stephanie and would give anything if we could have had her with us longer. So, yes, I believe life is precious. However, I believe any legislation regulating or restricting abortion should include exceptions for rape, incest, life of the mother and health of the baby."

As court battles drag on, Kentucky voters will decide the fate on Election Day of Constitutional Amendment 2, which would eliminate the right to abortion in the commonwealth if approved.

Dieruf, who has trailed Greenberg in the fundraising race but appears to have support from a super PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, concluded that his position on abortion "is not extreme, but I am extremely qualified to be Mayor of Louisville."

Ahead of the Nov. 8 election, which will see voters pick a successor to Fischer, a Democrat who is limited by law from running for a fourth term, a "Democrats for Dieruf" group has also formed to back the Republican candidate.

This story has been updated.

Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Bill Dieruf rips Craig Greenberg for 'untruths' in mayor abortion ad