A pregnant woman in Kentucky, referred to as Jane Doe, is challenging state officials over the right to have an abortion. Her attorneys have announced that her embryo no longer has cardiac activity. Despite this development, they intend to continue their lawsuit over Kentucky’s near-total abortion ban. Jane Doe is suing the Kentucky Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office to overturn the total ban and a six-week ban on abortion. She is about eight weeks pregnant and wants to have an abortion, but the state’s ban prevents her from doing so. The lawsuit alleges that the state’s near-total abortion ban violates the plaintiff’s rights to privacy and self-determination under the state constitution.
The lawsuit follows a similar case out of Texas, where a woman with severe pregnancy complications was granted an emergency abortion, sparking a legal battle in the state. The Texas Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the woman did not qualify for an abortion under state laws. However, she had already left Texas for the procedure by that point.
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, there has been a surge of women challenging state abortion bans and petitioning courts to grant access to care. The Kentucky lawsuit and the Texas case highlight the ongoing legal battles over abortion rights following changes in state laws. The controversy over abortion rights continues to be a major issue in the United States.
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