Judge halts abortion law that would have shut down last two clinics in Kentucky

A federal judge in Kentucky temporarily blocked an omnibus abortion law from going into effect, providing a reprieve for the state’s last two abortion clinics.

U.S. District Judge Rebecca Jennings, appointed by President Donald Trump, issued a temporary restraining order on the sweeping abortion law on Thursday, blocking it from going into effect and clearing the way for the Planned Parenthood clinic and EMW Women’s Surgical Center to resume services.

The omnibus abortion bill, which cleared the state legislature for a second time on April 13 when lawmakers overrode a veto issued by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, bans the distribution of abortion pills by mail and imposes new restrictions for girls under 18 seeking abortions. It also mandates the creation of a new certification and monitoring system that will track details of all abortions administered in the state and the providers who perform them.

Such a monitoring system does not yet exist, meaning abortion providers cannot come into compliance with the law. Jennings cited that as a reason for her move to block the law from taking effect.

“The Court does not consider at this stage the constitutionality of the substance of the requirements in HB 3, but merely the enforceability of the provisions based on the impossibility of compliance,” Jennings wrote.

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