The state of Kentucky is currently facing a lawsuit from a woman who asserts her right to an abortion, citing the state constitution’s guarantees of privacy and self-determination. This lawsuit is reminiscent of recent legal challenges to abortion rights in Texas. The plaintiff, who is identified only as Jane Doe, has stated that she is eight weeks pregnant and wishes to undergo an abortion. Additionally, she is requesting that the court grant her a class-action status, thereby enabling other women in Kentucky who may wish to undergo an abortion to join the lawsuit.
The plaintiff, a proud Kentuckian, expressed her love for the life she and her family have built in the state. However, she also expressed her anger at the current situation, which she described as follows: “I am pregnant and do not want to be.” This statement was released by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), one of the groups supporting her challenge. The government is impinging upon the plaintiff’s private affairs and preventing her from exercising her right to terminate the pregnancy. “This is my decision, not that of the government or any other individual.”
In addition to Jane Doe, the lawsuit lists Planned Parenthood as a plaintiff. The abortion organisation was compelled to withdraw its lawsuit in June, as it lacked a plaintiff willing to attest to having been harmed by Kentucky’s legislation protecting preborn children. In a statement, Planned Parenthood indicated that identifying a suitable plaintiff had constituted a significant obstacle to the advancement of their lawsuit. Six months later, it appears that Planned Parenthood has finally identified a suitable plaintiff.
The implementation of these bans has resulted in significant harm to numerous Kentuckians, and the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project is gratified to have the opportunity to challenge these restrictions in court with the aim of restoring abortion access in Kentucky. However, it appears that the number of individuals adversely affected by these restrictions is significantly lower than the number of people who have been willing to stand in solidarity with the abortion industry.
The lawsuit requests the complete overturning of Kentucky’s law protecting preborn children.
The lawsuit states that Jane Doe is bringing the action on behalf of herself and a class of similarly situated people who are now or later become pregnant and seek an abortion in Kentucky but cannot obtain one in the Commonwealth because of the challenged abortion bans. In order to safeguard the constitutional rights of Plaintiff Jane Doe and the class she represents, this Court must declare the Bans unconstitutional and permanently enjoin their enforcement.
In a statement, David Walls, the executive director of the Family Foundation, a pro-life organisation in Kentucky, asserted that the lawsuit lacked merit.
The new abortion industry lawsuit is as lacking in merit as the previous challenge that was unsuccessful. David Walls stated that the suggestion by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU that the Kentucky Constitution contains a hidden right to terminate the life and stop the beating heart of an unborn human being, despite Kentucky’s clear 150-year pro-life history, is absurd.
The pro-life legislation currently in place in Kentucky is saving the lives of unborn children and protecting the health of mothers on a daily basis. It is disheartening to observe the lengths to which the abortion industry is willing to go in its efforts to resume the killing of unborn children for profit. It is to be hoped that the judges of the state of Kentucky will resist the temptation to override the law in favour of their personal ideologies, and that they will uphold the pro-life laws of the Commonwealth.
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
