Kentucky’s only two abortion providers will stop performing the procedure immediately after Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s attempt to veto an extremely restrictive abortion bill was overridden by the state legislature late Wednesday.
Kentucky joins a growing handful of states implementing repressive new laws, including Florida, Oklahoma, Arizona, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Texas. On Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that outlaws abortions after 15 weeks, with no exceptions for rape or incest.
The Kentucky House and Senate overwhelmingly cast the votes needed to trump Beshear’s gubernatorial veto on Wednesday, and the bill went into effect immediately. House Bill 3, among other things, bans abortions for pregnancies that are further than 15 weeks along.
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Though there are exceptions for pregnancies that pose a “serious risk” or could cause the “death of the pregnant woman,” there are no exceptions for rape or incest. Doctors will forfeit their licenses for at least six months if they perform illegal abortions, ABC reports, and a judge will have to provide consent for a minor to receive an abortion if the parents cannot do so.
The law also introduces a labyrinth of new requirements for abortion providers and patients, such as forcing patients to report their abortions and file “birth-death certificates,” requiring clinics to have fetal remains buried or cremated by funeral homes, and requiring providers to report the details of every procedure to the state, including the method that was used, the reason for the abortion, and the patient’s home address, age, race, ethnicity and age of the baby’s father.
The state’s only two abortion providers, Planned Parenthood and EMW Women’s Surgical Center, both said they would stop operating immediately because they simply couldn’t comply with the regulations.
The “laundry list” of requirements makes it “impossible for providers to comply with because the Commonwealth has not yet set up the mechanisms for complying with the law,” Planned Parenthood said in a statement.
Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union immediately filed two lawsuits on Wednesday, arguing that House Bill 3 simultaneously creates unnecessary abortion requirements while making the requirements impossible to follow.
“Because the law is impossible to comply with, it amounts to a de facto abortion ban, thus violating patients’ federal right to abortion under Roe v. Wade,” the organizations said in a joint statement.
“We will do everything in our power to stop this insidious law from preventing Kentuckians from accessing the vital, time-sensitive health care they need and deserve,” Planned Parenthood said. “Everyone deserves to make their own decisions about their bodies, lives, and futures.”
Beshear vetoed the bill on April 8, citing concerns about its constitutionality. He also expressed particular concerns over the fact that there are no exceptions for pregnancies conceived through rape or incest.
Oklahoma likewise approved a similar measure on Tuesday. Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) signed Senate Bill 612 into law, which only allows for abortions in the case of a medical emergency.
“As governor, I represent all 4 million Oklahomans and they overwhelmingly support protecting life in the state of Oklahoma,” Stitt said as reported by CNN. “We want Oklahoma to be the most pro-life state in the country. We want to outlaw abortion in the state of Oklahoma.”
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