LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Vowing to continue his fight to halt abortions in Kentucky, attorney general Daniel Cameron is seeking help from the state’s highest court.
Sunday, Cameron’s office said he filed a Writ of Mandamus and Prohibition with the Supreme Court of Kentucky. This is his response to a temporary restraining order issued last week by a Jefferson County Circuit Court judge, allowing abortions to continue while blocking the state’s trigger law that went into effect following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Abortion rights groups have argued Kentucky’s abortion bans violate rights to privacy, bodily autonomy and self-determination outline in sections one and two in the state’s constitution.
Cameron did file a motion with the Court of Appeals to reinstate the laws, but it was denied on Saturday.
“We are exhausting every possible avenue to have Kentucky’s Human Life Protection Act and Heartbeat Law reinstated,” Cameron said in a statement issued Sunday. “There is no more important issue than protecting life, and we are urging the state’s highest court to consider our request for emergency relief.”
Since the law has been blocked temporarily, Planned Parenthood has resumed scheduling abortions while the EMW Women’s Surgical Center resumed abortion care on Friday.
The ACLU has since responded to the attorney general's latest move and has released a statement.
“The Court of Appeals yesterday denied Attorney General Cameron’s unwarranted request to block a restraining order that restored abortion access in Kentucky. An appeals court has already denied Cameron’s attempt to block emergency actions protecting Kentuckians’ rights to privacy, bodily autonomy, and self-determination, as outlined in the state constitution.
Despite losing twice already, Cameron continues to threaten Kentuckians’ rights, burn courts’ time, and waste taxpayers’ dollars to score cheap political points. Kentuckians deserve better than what Attorney General Cameron is offering. He is wasting our tax dollars on appeals he knows he will lose in a reckless attempt to implement abortion bans he knows a majority of Kentuckians oppose.
Our recent victories are temporary but important. Abortion is still legal in Kentucky and people can still get abortions in Kentucky as our lawsuit continues. People in need of care should visit ACLU-KY.org/AbortionResources to learn more about EMW Women’s Surgical Center and Planned Parenthood, and how to seek assistance with costs, transportation, childcare, navigating the healthcare system, and more.
We will bring everything to the fight to ensure all Kentuckians can make the best decisions for themselves and to prevent extremist politicians like Daniel Cameron from forcing people to remain pregnant against their will.”
A hearing for the ACLU of Kentucky’s request for a temporary injunction to block the state’s law has been scheduled for July 6.
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