(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Kentucky high court upholds state bans as case on constitutionality of abortion ban continues [1] ['Daily Kos Staff', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-16 The 2019 trigger law was enforced in Kentucky after the fall of Roe v. Wade and banned abortion at all levels, with exceptions only for life-threatening health risks—but none for rape and incest. Under this legislation, doctors who performed abortions were subject to prosecution. According to the Associated Press, the trigger law and a separate law banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy were both challenged by two Louisville abortion clinics over constitutionality; the clinics were forced to stop providing abortions in early August. The bans have been questioned by many, and a Louisville judge even halted enforcement of the bans in July, noting that the bans likely violated the state constitution’s rights to privacy and self-determination. Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Mitch Perry said it wasn’t the court’s role to determine whether the state constitution guarantees the right to abortion: it was to decide whether the new bans violated constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. But despite Perry’s argument, the state’s Court of Appeals reinstated the bans and the state Supreme Court decided in August to keep them in place while it reviewed the case. The issue made headlines nationwide after Kentucky voters last year rejected a ballot measure that would have denied any constitutional protections for abortion. The measure would've changed Amendment 2 of the state constitution to state explicitly that there is no right to an abortion. Despite state voters disagreeing with such changes, Republicans still passed the two abortion laws. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron defended the laws, arguing that the state legislature— not the courts—has the right to regulate abortion. Responding to the court’s decision, Planned Parenthood and EMW Women's Surgical Center, the state's only two abortion clinics, challenged the bans and issued the following statement: "Once again, the Kentucky Supreme Court failed to protect the health and safety of nearly a million people in the state by refusing to reinstate the lower court order blocking the law. Even after Kentuckians overwhelmingly voted against an anti-abortion ballot measure, abortion remains banned in the state. We are extremely disappointed in today’s decision, but we will never give up the fight to restore bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom in Kentucky. This fight is not over." According to data from the Center for Reproductive Rights, at least 13 states have current bans on abortion that are near-total. But while conservatives are pushing to end reproductive rights and access to abortion, bans and restrictions in at least six states are on hold due to legal challenges. Related Story: New Kentucky law would prosecute some abortions as homicide [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/16/2153288/-Kentucky-high-court-upholds-state-bans-as-case-on-constitutionality-of-abortion-ban-continues Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/