Abortions can resume in Kentucky, at least temporarily.
A Jefferson County judge is blocking Kentucky’s abortion ban triggered by the recent U.S. Supreme Court Decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
A restraining order has been issued, pending a hearing on an injunction next week.
The ACLU says the abortion ban passed by the Kentucky General Assembly, which only makes an exception to protect the life of the mother, violates Kentucky’s constitution that guarantees a right to privacy, bodily autonomy and self-determination.
State Senator Whitney Westerfield of Christian County, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, says he’s greatly disappointed by the ruling and believes it’s in direct conflict with the U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs decision that gave the power on the abortion issue back to state legislatures.
He’s doesn’t believe the Kentucky constitution guarantees a right to an abortion and notes there’s a constitutional amendment on the November ballot where Kentuckians can stipulate only the General Assembly can decide the commonwealth’s abortion policies.
Governor Andy Beshear reacted during his Team Kentucky update, saying the General Assembly law triggered by the overturning of Roe v. Wade is flawed.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron says, “In the wake of an historic victory for life at the nation’s highest court, today, one judge in Kentucky has, without basis in the Kentucky Constitution, allowed two clinics to resume abortions. We cannot let the same mistake that happened in Roe v. Wade, nearly 50 years ago, to be made again in Kentucky. We will be seeking relief from this order.”