A lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against new Kentucky law requiring an ultrasound for women who plan to go through an abortion.
The new law calls for doctors to present images from an ultrasound, which will be undergone by women prior to the abortion, and explain the entire process. There is no exemption for doctors who believe that women having an ultrasound may bring on trauma to the patient.
This new abortion law of Kentucky is supported by Republicans who have gained control over the state's government since the election in November.
Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, a member of the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project legal counsel team, released an official statement regarding the group's lawsuit against the Kentucky's new abortion law.
"A woman deserves to expect high-quality compassionate care from her doctor. Instead, this law puts politicians in the exam room-squarely between a woman and her doctor," Kolbi-Molinas said.
According to the lawsuit, Kentucky's new abortion law can be compared to that of North Carolina's that was contested by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals two years ago.
As stated by the Fourth Circuit, the North Carolina law brought on violations against doctors' rights to freedom of speech; the law also interfered with doctor-patient relationships and gave rise to potential threats to patients' mental and emotional health.
Kentucky's new abortion law requiring an ultrasound is only one of the two latest measures that challenge abortion rights, as approved by Gov. Matt Bevin. The second measure requires the banning of abortions when women have reached 20 weeks of pregnancy.
In announcing the signing of the bills, Bevin referred to such measures as a means to "protect our most vulnerable."
Such ultrasound requirement had undergone a special emergency process by the Republicans, thereby enabling a faster means for the new law to become immediately effective.
Other states have also passed the same abortion law; these include Louisiana, Texas, and Wisconsin where women should go through an ultrasound prior to an abortion, although they can choose not to listen to the ultrasound's details.
