May 3, 2024
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A judge cleared the way Thursday for abortions to resume in Kentucky, temporarily blocking the state’s near-total ban on the procedure that was triggered by the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.
Abortion-rights groups fought for the ruling that pauses the 2019 Kentucky law for now. Under the so-called trigger provisions, abortions ended abruptly June 24 once the nation’s highest court ruled to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
The Kentucky case reflects the battles now being waged in courthouses around the country over whether pregnancies may be lawfully ended.
Attorneys for the clinics argued Kentucky’s constitution protects the right to an abortion. In defending the state law, Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s legal team says no such constitutional right exists. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Mitch Perry heard arguments from both sides in a Louisville courtroom on Wednesday before issuing his order.
The trigger measure contains a narrow exception allowing a physician to perform a procedure necessary to prevent the death or permanent injury of a pregnant woman. It does not permit abortions in cases of rape or incest.
In November, Kentuckians will vote on a ballot initiative that, if ratified, would establish that no state constitutional right to abortion exists.
