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The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, which is representing the woman, refused to reveal how the issue will be affected by the condition of her fetus, but indicated that the challenge will continue. She was about eight weeks pregnant when the ACLU filed the lawsuit on Friday, days after a similar challenge in Texas.
“Jane Doe was looking for an abortion in Kentucky, and when she couldn’t find one, she came up with the courage to challenge the state’s abortion ban. Although she decided to have an abortion, the government denied her the freedom to control her body. Countless Kentuckians face the same harm every day as a result of the abortion ban,” said Brigitte Amiri, deputy director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, in a statement. news.
“Kentuckians like Jane should just focus on their health and not worry about filing a lawsuit. … Unfortunately, challenges led by impatient people like Jane’s are our only way forward to lift the ban under the right to privacy and the right to self-determination,” Amiri added.
The Kentucky attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.
The Guttmacher Institute, a group that supports abortion rights, said Kentucky has some of the strictest abortion laws in the country. The state enforced its restrictions as soon as the Supreme Court struck them down Roe v. Wade. In February, the Kentucky Supreme Court denied a request to halt enforcement of the entire ban.
The lawsuit challenges two laws in Kentucky: one that allows abortion only in cases of medical emergency or danger of life, and the prohibition of abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.
“The prohibitions and restrictions that cannot be harmed by them are an affront to the health and dignity of all Kentuckians,” the court said. “Everyone who can become pregnant has the right to determine their own future and make decisions about their relationships and life opportunities without government interference that endangers their health and well-being. good health.”
In 2021, it will be about 4 percent Abortion in Kentucky happened first six weeks of pregnancy, according to the claim, but 26 percent it happened in the sixth week, when the activity of the heart is usually known.
“These attempts to access health care that have been condemned by Kentucky encourage individuals to increase legal and medical risks, and may endanger the lives of pregnant Kentuckians, safety, health, future, and the well-being of their families,” the statement said. that of the court.
Jane Doe, in a statement shared by the ACLU, said she is a proud citizen of the state.
“But I’m angry because I’m pregnant and I don’t want to, the government is interfering with my personal affairs and preventing me from having an abortion. This is my choice – not the government or anyone else,” he wrote.
“I am filing this lawsuit because I strongly believe that everyone should have the ability to make their own decisions about their pregnancy. I hope this case will restore abortion in Kentucky, if not for me then for countless people in the future who deserve the autonomy to decide what is best for them and the their families,” he added.
The challenge came just days after an unprecedented legal battle over abortion began in Texas.
Kate Cox, a 31-year-old mother of two, found out that her baby had a medical condition and that carrying the pregnancy to term could endanger her fertility in the future. She asked a judge to have an abortion, becoming the first woman to become pregnant asked the court for permission to terminate her pregnancy under the abortion ban since then Roe v. Wade was elected in 1973.
Travis County District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, an elected Democrat, confirmed Abortion is subject to narrow restrictions within the state ban, but the Texas Supreme Court on Friday temporarily suspended the ban. On Monday night, the decision of the lower court was reversed. Cox has left the state for abortion care.
Caroline Kitchener and Maegan Vazquez contributed to this report.