Louisville judge extends injunction on Kentucky abortion ‘trigger law’
Published 2:35 pm Friday, July 22, 2022
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A Jefferson County Circuit Court judge has extended a temporary restraining order against Kentucky’s “trigger law” regarding abortion – meaning that for now abortion services may continue in the commonwealth.
Judge Mitch Perry extended his injunction against the Human Life Protection Act that he initially issued on June 30th.
The legislation – passed by the Kentucky General Assembly in 2019 – bars abortion services except during dire medical emergencies. The law hit the books the second that the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24th.
The ACLU of Kentucky and Planned Parenthood filed suit on behalf of Planned Parenthood of Louisville and EMW Women’s Surgical Center. Both medical centers, located in Louisville, were the only two locations still offering abortion services in Kentucky before the Supreme Court’s ruling.
The ACLU lauded the ruling.
“Today’s victory is temporary but important. We will never stop fighting for your right to make the best decisions for yourself,” the ACLU said in a statement. “The government and extremist politicians should never have the authority to force a person to remain pregnant against their will.”
Planned Parenthood echoed those remarks in a released statement.
“Once again, the courts have rightly blocked Kentucky’s abortion bans. Kentuckians have a right to abortion under the state constitution, and we’ll continue fighting for that right so that every person in the commonwealth can get the care they need,” the statement reads.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron initially appealed the injunction all the way to the Kentucky Supreme Court had his request for it to be overturned denied.
The attorney general vowed to keep fighting the ruling.
“A Louisville judge’s decision today to continue halting Kentucky’s Human Life Protection Act and Heartbeat Law is disappointing, and we will seek appellate relief,” Cameron said in a statement. “The Judge’s suggestion that Kentucky’s Constitution contains a right to abortion is not grounded in the text and history of our state’s governing document. We will continue our steadfast defense of these bipartisan laws that represent the Commonwealth’s commitment to the lives of the unborn.”