April 13 (Reuters) – Kentucky effectively suspended legal access to abortion on Wednesday as the legislature passed a broad anti-abortion law that went into effect immediately, forcing providers to stop offering abortions until they meet certain requirements.
The impact of the law makes Kentucky the first state in the United States without legal access to abortion since Supreme Court Rowe v. Wade in 1973, established the right to terminate a pregnancy before the fetus is viable, abortion providers say.
Abortion advocacy groups have said they will challenge the bill in court.
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The law imposes requirements that state clinics say make the operation too difficult and costly from a logistical point of view, including a provision requiring the remains of the fetus to be cremated or buried.
He called for a combined birth-death or stillbirth certificate for each abortion and banned abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Besher, a Democrat, vetoed the bill Friday, but the Republican House of Representatives and the Senate overturned its veto Wednesday night.
In his veto letter, Bechear expressed concern that the bill did not include exceptions for abortions in cases of rape or incest, and said it was “probably unconstitutional” because of the requirements it imposes on suppliers.
“Rape and incest are violent crimes. Victims of these crimes must have opportunities,” Beshear wrote.
The legislature lifted several other Beshear vetoes on Wednesday, including a bill banning trans girls from playing sports for girls.
According to Kentucky State Director of Planned Parenthood Tamara Wieder, two provisions in abortion law hinder the operation of abortion clinics in the state.
The first is a requirement for the state pharmaceutical council to certify suppliers who dispense abortion pills. Until abortion providers are certified, they cannot offer medical abortions.
The second is the requirement that the remains of the fetus be cremated or buried, which places logistical and cost burdens on clinics that they cannot afford.
The bill also bans telehealth for medical abortions, requiring a personal visit to a doctor for patients who want to terminate their pregnancy with pills.
Republican-led states have quickly adopted tougher abortion bans this year, with the expectation that a forthcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling could help the bans withstand legal challenges. On Tuesday, the governor of Oklahoma signed an almost complete ban on abortion, which is due to take effect in August.
The Supreme Court is expected to rule by the end of June on a Republican-backed Mississippi law that gives the Conservative majority a chance to undermine or even overturn the remarkable 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion across the board. country.
During the controversy, conservative judges signaled their readiness to drastically limit abortion rights in the United States.
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Report by Gabriela Bortter; Edited by Aurora Ellis
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