The Quickie: New Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Against Kentucky's Two Abortion Bans
For Immediate Release: Dec. 8, 2023
Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.
In today’s Quickie: Class-action lawsuit filed against Kentucky’s two abortion bans, abortion advocates in Wisconsin urge DA to uphold ruling, and a new report shows 1 in 5 abortion seekers traveled out of state in 2023.
NEW CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST KENTUCKY’S TWO ABORTION BANS; PRESS CALL AT 2:00PM ET TODAY: This morning, a Kentucky woman filed a lawsuit in Jefferson County Circuit Court challenging two of the Commonwealth’s abortion bans. The case details the severe harms that Jane Doe, an anonymous plaintiff who is approximately eight weeks pregnant, and a class of all pregnant Kentuckians seeking abortion are enduring because the government has denied her access to the care she needs. Jane Doe brings the class action on behalf of all Kentuckians who are pregnant and seeking abortion to strike down these abortion bans, which have been in effect since August 2022, under the state constitutional right to privacy and self-determination.
In a statement, Jane Doe shared: “This is my decision—not the government’s or any other person’s. I am bringing this lawsuit because I firmly believe that everyone should have the ability to make their own decisions about their pregnancies. I hope this case will restore abortion access in Kentucky, if not for me then for the countless people in the future who deserve the autonomy to decide what is best for themselves and their families.”
Attorneys and advocates will hold a press conference at 2:00 PM ET about the case. The press conference will be in person and online:
WHEN:
Friday, December 8, 2023
2:00 p.m. ET
WHERE:
ACLU of Kentucky Offices
325 W Main St., Suite 2210
Louisville, KY 40202
https://aclu.zoom.us/j/89770464283
WHO:
Amber Duke, American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky (ACLU-KY)
Rebecca Gibron, Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai‘i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky (PPGNHAIK)
Brigitte Amiri, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
More about the lawsuit here.
ABORTION RIGHTS ACTIVISTS URGE WISCONSIN DA TO UPHOLD RULING: On Thursday, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin joined pro-abortion activists in Sheboygan county to urge District Attorney Joel Urmanksi not to appeal Judge Diane Schlipper’s ruling from earlier this week, which reiterated that an old statute that seemingly banned abortion does not apply today.
While Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin resumed abortion care services in September, the Sheboygan health center has not resumed services yet. If DA Urmasnki chooses to appeal this ruling, it will put care out of reach for Sheboygan county residents. “In choosing to appeal, that's really a choice to try and actively criminalize abortion, to make this important health care inaccessible to folks in Sheboygan and potentially folks around the state,” said Michelle Velasquez, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin Chief Strategy Officer, at a press conference.
Read more in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
1 IN 5 ABORTION SEEKERS TRAVELED OUT OF STATE POST-ROE: According to a new report published by the Guttmacher Institute, one in five people seeking abortions in 2023 traveled out of state to seek care. More than 92,000 people traveled in the first half of 2023 compared to 2020 pre-Dobbs numbers, where less than 1 in 10 patients traveled out of state for abortion care. A handful of states notice key differences as more bans go into effect:
- Ohio: Providers are seeing patients in later gestational stages and more patients choose procedural abortions rather than medication abortion.
- New Mexico: Health centers have adjusted their waiting rooms to accommodate family members who have traveled with patients. Almost three-quarters of New Mexico patients traveled across state lines.
- South Carolina: Prior to the state’s 6-week ban, over 40% of abortions provided were for out-of-state patients as it had been one of the last access states in the South.
The study illustrates the very real consequences of enacting abortion bans. Dr. Adarsh Krishen, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio explains, “We treat each patient as an individual. Our commitment is to make sure that they’re getting the health care they need and deserve… there are just added layers of complexity.”
This report has its limitations: we cannot see the number of self-managed abortions or the number of patients who were forced to carry a pregnancy to term.
Read more at CNN.