WDRB 41 Louisville News
By Cheryl Sullenger
Louisville, KY – In a case of national importance, two Kentucky abortion facilities are in Federal Court in an attempt to argue that enforcement of state laws requiring hospital transfer agreements is a political and religious ploy to “make abortion illegal in Kentucky,” according to Brigitte Amiri, an ACLU attorney for EMW Women’s Center, the last active abortion facility in the state.
But Steve Pitt, an attorney who represents Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, a pro-life supporter, insists that claim is simply untrue.
“There is absolutely no political or religious consideration here. This is a question of safety and health,” he said.
If the state is successful, it could close EMW’s Louisville abortion business, making Kentucky the first abortion-free state since the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that decriminalized abortion in America and would be considered a huge victory for the pro-life movement.
State officials under Gov. Bevin claim that after Planned Parenthood in Louisville began conducting abortions without a license in December 2015, they began to realize that the hospital transfer agreement provision of the facility licensing law had never been properly enforced under previous administrations.
Pitt says the abortion businesses were given every opportunity to comply with the law.
As a result, EMW Women’s Clinic in Lexington was closed and the Louisville Planned Parenthood was forced to halt abortions. The Louisville EMW Women’s Clinic was also ordered to close in March, but instead joined with Planned Parenthood in filing suit against the Bevin Administration.
“Most states are either not motivated or completely afraid to enforce laws that affect abortion facilities. Even when we catch them in the act of breaking the law and can prove it, enforcement remains our greatest challenge,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “Gov. Matt Bevin has been a breath of fresh air that takes enforcement of Kentucky laws seriously. There are many states currently controlled by pro-life administrations that must find the courage to follow Kentucky’s lead and act swiftly to enforce state laws. Those facilities that cannot comply should not expect exemption from proper enforcement.”
Newman believes that if the state laws currently on the books were simply enforced, most abortion facilities in America would be forced to close.
The trial, which is in its third day of testimony, is expected to conclude today. Any ruling on the case is expected to take weeks or even months.

Related:

  • Trial Begins Today in Challenge of Safety Law that Should Close the Last Kentucky Abortion Business
  • Shoddy Kentucky Abortion Business are Not the Exception, but the Rule