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Kentucky’s Last Abortion Clinic Will Remain Open

Last week, the last abortion clinic or provider in the state of Kentucky won a court battle against the state to remain open.

On March 13, the EMW Women’s Surgery Center, which is based in Louisville and offers both surgical and medical abortions, received a notice “out of the blue” informing the clinic that it would lose its license in ten days. However, a federal judge granted the clinic a temporary restraining order, which would keep it open for 14 days; though it is temporary, the lawyer for the clinic is confident that the state will back down for good.

Why was the clinic set to close, you may ask? The notice, sent by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, states the reason for closure is that the clinic’s agreements with local hospitals and ambulances are “deficient”; however, the clinic has never had problems with these agreements in the past. More likely, the attempted closure of the only abortion provider in Kentucky is part of a series of new legislative action aimed to make getting an abortion in the state as complicated – some may say difficult – as possible. Early this year, Kentucky governor Matt Bevin, who is very publicly pro-life, signed a series of abortion bills into law. The first law requires the pregnant woman to have an ultrasound, view images of the ultrasound, and hear the fetal heartbeat before the abortion. The second bans abortion at or after 20 weeks of pregnancy, save for life-threatening circumstances, and does not contain exceptions for rape or incest.

Not only do these actions prevent women from getting health and medical care that they need, it also takes away a woman’s choice, plain and simple.

Yes, it’s good news that the EMW is staying open, and yes, pushback against the new abortion bills in Kentucky has been loud and clear – the ACLU, both at the state and national level, both filed a lawsuit against the state right after the passing of the laws – but the continued fight against women’s rights to choose are worrying. Among increasingly dire circumstances, we as a nation must continue to fight for the rights of the women who deserve that and more.

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