LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The woman who sued Kentucky over their strict abortion laws has had the procedure done in another state.
The woman, who goes under the name Mary Poe, was seven weeks pregnant when the lawsuit was filed.
The lawsuit said Kentucky's laws blocking abortion violated her rights to privacy and self-determination.
In a statement, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said "Our attorneys filed notice with the court that Mary Poe proceeded to seek abortion care out of state. The notice indicates that the case should proceed."
Meanwhile, Kentucky's Right to Life said they will continue to fight the suit.
"Baby Poe's life, though brief, represents the countless unborn children in Kentucky whose lives hang in the balance with the May Poe class action case filed by the ACLU."
The suit is seeking class-action status to include others who are or will become pregnant and want the right to have an abortion. It is challenging Kentucky’s near-total trigger law ban and a separate six-week ban, both of which were passed by Republican legislative majorities.
The trigger law took effect when Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 and bans abortions except to save the life of the patient or to prevent disabling injury. It does not include exceptions for cases of rape or incest.
The lawsuit is similar to legal action taken nearly a year ago, also by a pregnant woman who sought the right to an abortion in Kentucky. That challenge was dropped after the woman learned her embryo no longer had cardiac activity, but abortion rights groups said the legal fight was far from over.
In 2022, Kentucky voters rejected a ballot measure that would have denied any constitutional protections for abortion, but abortion rights supporters have made no inroads in the Republican-controlled Legislature at chipping away at the laws.
Kentucky's Supreme Court refused last year to halt the near-total ban, resulting in abortion access remaining virtually shut off in the state. Abortion rights groups have searched for plaintiffs to challenge the ban.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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