Second pregnant woman challenges a state's abortion bans this week
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Abortion rights protesters on June 24, 2022, in Louisville, Kentucky. Photo: Jon Cherry/Getty Images
A pregnant woman in Kentucky filed a lawsuit Friday challenging two abortion bans in the state.
The big picture: The lawsuit comes a day after a Texas woman was granted permission to receive an emergency abortion despite a restrictive ban that went into effect in the state after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Driving the news: The latest case filed in state court in Louisville was brought by a plaintiff identified as Jane Doe, who is about eight weeks pregnant and seeking an abortion.
- The suit argues that Kentucky's abortion bans violate the state's constitution by infringing on the "rights to privacy and self-determination."
- It seeks seeks class-action status for anyone in Kentucky who is pregnant and wants an in-state abortion, arguing that the bans "are inflicting acute and irreparable harm on Kentuckians."
Context: Kentucky's restrictive abortion bans have been in effect since August 2022.
- The state's trigger law — which took effect shortly after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — makes abortions illegal unless necessary to save a pregnant person's life or to "prevent the serious, permanent impairment of a life-sustaining organ" of the patient.
- The six-week ban prohibits abortion once an embryo's cardiac activity has been detected. Exceptions for abortions past that point exist only if there is a "medical emergency."
What she's saying: "I am a proud Kentuckian and I love the life my family and I have here, but I'm angry that now that I'm pregnant and do not want to be," the plaintiff said in a statement shared by the American Civil Liberties Union, which is among the groups representing her.
- "The government is interfering in my private matters and blocking me from having an abortion," she continued. "This is my decision, not the government or any other person's."
- State Attorney General Daniel Cameron's office did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Go deeper: Out-of-state travel for abortion surged after Roe was overturned
