Planned Parenthood was issued a temporary restraining order against House Bill 3, the omnibus aborition bill that went into law last week in Kentucky. The temporary restraining order, which was issued in the United States District Court, Western District of Kentucky, will allow PP to temporarily continue abortion services in Kentucky.
“We’re grateful for the temporary restraining order (TRO) restricting this egregious abortion ban from continuing to block a constitutionally protected right to basic care,” said Rebecca Gibron, CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky. “This is a win, but it is only the first step. We’re prepared to fight for our patients’ right to basic health in court and to continue doing everything in our power in ensure abortion access is permanently secured in Kentucky.”
After Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed the bill, the legislature overheard his veto, and the law put a temporary halt to abortion services in Kentucky. The ACLU and Planned Parenthood filed immediate lawsuits against the bill, which they said would create unnecessary abortion requirements.
It also made requirements impossible to comply with, and given the immediate effects of the law, it forced providers in the state to stop offering abortion services. The law is impossible to comply with, pro-choice advocates said, and this puts in place an abortion ban that violates patients’ rights under Roe V. Wade.
“We want to ensure our patients that we are here for them, and we will help them access the care they need even if that occurs outside the state of Kentucky,” Gibron said last week.
According to Gibron, they will have some time to work to comply, but the state is not prepared, she said last week.
“To be clear, we know the intent of this law is to shut us down … the state is not prepared,” Gibron said. “They don’t have the forms or the processes even created to afford us an opportunity to comply.”