KENTUCKY — After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision on June 24, a trigger law (Human Life Protection Act) passed by Kentucky legislators in 2019 immediately went into effect. It essentially halted all abortions in the Commonwealth unless a mother’s life was at risk or she risked serious and permanent injury.
The ACLU of Kentucky filed a lawsuit on behalf of EMW Women’s Surgical Center and Planned Parenthood, the state’s only two abortion providers. On Thursday, June 30, Jefferson County Circuit Judge Mitch Perry granted a request for a temporary suspension of the trigger law.
Kentucky’s Chief Law Enforcement official, Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) joined this In Focus Kentucky to weigh in on the Supreme Court ruling and the immediate impact it will have here in the Commonwealth.
“We are entering a new era. No longer will unelected judges make abortion policy for the Commonwealth. Instead, our elected representatives will be able to make public policy that reflects the values of Kentuckians and our deeply held respect for unborn life.... Together, we must commit ourselves to caring for the next generation of Kentuckians who will now have a chance to live their lives because Roe v. Wade is no more. Their lives, and those of their mothers and families, are precious and must be met with all the compassion, kindness, and care that we can provide,” said Cameron.
Because of the ongoing litigation related to the reinstatement of Kentucky’s Human Life Protection Act and Heartbeat Law, the Attorney General filed a Writ of Mandamus and Prohibition with the Supreme Court of Kentucky, which responds to a temporary restraining order issued last week against the laws by a Jefferson Circuit Court Judge.
The Circuit Court’s temporary restraining order against the Human Life Protection Act and the Heartbeat Law allowed abortions to resume at two Kentucky abortion clinics, EMW and Planned Parenthood. The same day the court issued the order, Attorney General Cameron asked the Court of Appeals to reinstate the laws. The court denied the motion, and the Attorney General is now asking the Supreme Court to take action.
“We are exhausting every possible avenue to have Kentucky’s Human Life Protection Act and Heartbeat Law reinstated,” said Attorney General Cameron. “There is no more important issue than protecting life, and we are urging the state’s highest court to consider our request for emergency relief.”
You can watch the full In Focus segment in the player above.