A pregnant woman in Kentucky is suing the state over its abortion bans.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Jefferson County Circuit Court on Tuesday, is the latest challenge to the state’s near-total ban on the procedure. It claims that Kentucky laws blocking abortions violate the plaintiff’s constitutional rights to privacy and self-determination.
According to the lawsuit, the woman, who is referred to as Mary Poe to protect her privacy, is about seven weeks pregnant. She wants to terminate her pregnancy but cannot legally do so in Kentucky, according to the court documents.
On Wednesday, LEX 18 spoke to the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, which is helping Poe with her case.
“She doesn’t want other Kentuckians to have to go through what she is currently going through,” said Amber Duke with the ACLU of Kentucky.
Duke said Kentucky’s near-total trigger abortion ban and its six-week abortion ban leave girls and women in the state with no options.
“People either have to remain here in Kentucky and remain pregnant against their will,” said Duke. “Or, they have to make plans, arrange childcare, take time off from work, find money for travel – to flee the Commonwealth in order to access abortion care.”