Kentucky’s two abortion clinics have temporarily closed after the state’s GOP-controlled legislature overrode Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of a strict ban on abortions.
The Washington Post explains:
The new law, one of the most restrictive in the nation, imposes limits on medication abortion, requires the cremation or burial of fetal remains and bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. An exception is allowed if the woman’s life is in danger, but there is no exception for rape or incest.
Beshear vetoed the bill last week, citing its failure to permit the procedure for victims of rape or incest.
“Rape and incest are violent crimes,” he said. “Victims of these crimes should have options, not be further scarred through a process that exposes them to more harm from their rapists or that treats them like offenders themselves.”
But on Wednesday, the legislature mustered the votes to invalidate Beshear’s veto in both the state House and Senate. The law takes effect immediately, but reproductive-rights groups launched a legal challenge to the legislation on Thursday that they hope will allow the state’s two abortion clinics to reopen.
The Wall Street Journal reports:
Kentucky could become the first state in nearly five decades where women won’t have access to abortion at any stage of pregnancy, according to Elizabeth Nash, a state policy analyst at the Guttmacher Institute, a policy group that supports abortion rights and tracks national abortion statistics.
“We know the intent of this law is to shut us down,” said Rebecca Gibron, interim chief executive of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky.
Reuters adds:
The legislature overrode several other of Beshear’s vetoes on Wednesday, including a bill banning trans girls from playing girls’ sports.
Two provisions in the abortion legislation hinder the state’s abortion clinics from operating, according to Planned Parenthood’s Kentucky state director Tamarra Wieder.
The first is a requirement that the state Board of Pharmacy certify providers who dispense abortion pills. Until abortion providers are certified, they are prevented from offering medication abortions.
The second is a requirement that fetal remains be cremated or interred, which places logistical and cost burdens on the clinics that they cannot sustain.
The bill also bans telehealth for medication abortions, requiring an in-person doctor visit for patients seeking to end their pregnancy by pill.
ABC News provides context on Kentucky’s new law, which is part of a Republican push to curb reproductive rights:
The ban is modeled after Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, which is being reviewed by the Supreme Court, with a decision expected in June on whether or not it is constitutional.
If the court determines the Mississippi bill is constitutional, this could mean Roe v. Wade is either overturned or fundamentally weakened.
