SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
The new suit aims to block Kentucky's HB2, which forces doctors to perform an ultrasound on a women before she has an abortion. (Photo: Shane Conneely/flickr/cc)
ACLU Takes Aim at New Rights-Violating Anti-Choice Bill in Kentucky
Civil liberties group files suit same day as fast-tracked bill goes into effect
Jan 09, 2017
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Monday took swift legal against an anti-women bill fast-tracked by Kentucky lawmakers, decrying it as "an example of political interference operating in its most perverse form."
The bill in question is HB2, one of two anti-abortion measures passed during a special session on Saturday, which (pdf) forces a doctor to perform an ultrasound (which may have to be done trans-vaginally) before a woman has the procedure, make the woman hear the fetus' heartbeat if one is present, and display and describe the image to her--though the woman may "avert her eyes" and request the volume be turned down or off.
Because it included an emergency clause, the bill has already gone into effect.
The ACLU states that
HB2 violates the rights of Plaintiffs under the First Amendment, as applied through the Fourteenth Amendment, to the U.S. Constitution by forcing them to deliver unwanted, government-mandated speech; in particular, the Act compels physicians to convey to their abortion patients in a private medical setting unwanted government-mandated speech that falls outside accepted and ethical standards and practices for medical informed consent.
"A woman deserves to expect high quality compassionate care from her doctor," said Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, senior staff attorney at the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project. "Instead, this law puts politicians in the exam room--squarely between a woman and her doctor."
A press statement announcing the legal action also notes that the "new Kentucky laws are just the latest in a torrent of restrictions passed by state legislatures over the last few years. In fact, states have passed 338 restrictions since 2010, excluding the new Kentucky laws, according to the Guttmacher Institute."
The case is EMW Women's Surgical Center v. Beshear.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Monday took swift legal against an anti-women bill fast-tracked by Kentucky lawmakers, decrying it as "an example of political interference operating in its most perverse form."
The bill in question is HB2, one of two anti-abortion measures passed during a special session on Saturday, which (pdf) forces a doctor to perform an ultrasound (which may have to be done trans-vaginally) before a woman has the procedure, make the woman hear the fetus' heartbeat if one is present, and display and describe the image to her--though the woman may "avert her eyes" and request the volume be turned down or off.
Because it included an emergency clause, the bill has already gone into effect.
The ACLU states that
HB2 violates the rights of Plaintiffs under the First Amendment, as applied through the Fourteenth Amendment, to the U.S. Constitution by forcing them to deliver unwanted, government-mandated speech; in particular, the Act compels physicians to convey to their abortion patients in a private medical setting unwanted government-mandated speech that falls outside accepted and ethical standards and practices for medical informed consent.
"A woman deserves to expect high quality compassionate care from her doctor," said Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, senior staff attorney at the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project. "Instead, this law puts politicians in the exam room--squarely between a woman and her doctor."
A press statement announcing the legal action also notes that the "new Kentucky laws are just the latest in a torrent of restrictions passed by state legislatures over the last few years. In fact, states have passed 338 restrictions since 2010, excluding the new Kentucky laws, according to the Guttmacher Institute."
The case is EMW Women's Surgical Center v. Beshear.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Monday took swift legal against an anti-women bill fast-tracked by Kentucky lawmakers, decrying it as "an example of political interference operating in its most perverse form."
The bill in question is HB2, one of two anti-abortion measures passed during a special session on Saturday, which (pdf) forces a doctor to perform an ultrasound (which may have to be done trans-vaginally) before a woman has the procedure, make the woman hear the fetus' heartbeat if one is present, and display and describe the image to her--though the woman may "avert her eyes" and request the volume be turned down or off.
Because it included an emergency clause, the bill has already gone into effect.
The ACLU states that
HB2 violates the rights of Plaintiffs under the First Amendment, as applied through the Fourteenth Amendment, to the U.S. Constitution by forcing them to deliver unwanted, government-mandated speech; in particular, the Act compels physicians to convey to their abortion patients in a private medical setting unwanted government-mandated speech that falls outside accepted and ethical standards and practices for medical informed consent.
"A woman deserves to expect high quality compassionate care from her doctor," said Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, senior staff attorney at the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project. "Instead, this law puts politicians in the exam room--squarely between a woman and her doctor."
A press statement announcing the legal action also notes that the "new Kentucky laws are just the latest in a torrent of restrictions passed by state legislatures over the last few years. In fact, states have passed 338 restrictions since 2010, excluding the new Kentucky laws, according to the Guttmacher Institute."
The case is EMW Women's Surgical Center v. Beshear.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.