Kentucky abortion ban temporarily blocked by state court

A state court temporarily on Thursday blocked Kentucky's abortion ban allowing physicians to continue performing the procedure following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

A "trigger" law in Kentucky went into effect following the Supreme Court's decision that bans the procedure entirely in the state, except in cases where the patient's life is at risk. Jefferson Circuit Judge Mitch Perry blocked the law from taking effect after he granted a restraining order.

The leaders of Planned Parenthood Kentucky and the ACLU said in a statement following the court's block, "We’re glad the court recognized the devastation happening in Kentucky and decided to block the commonwealth’s cruel abortion bans. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe last Friday, numerous Kentuckians have been forced to carry pregnancies against their will or flee their home state in search of essential care."

State Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) said the state will challenge the decision. 

"In the wake of an historic victory for life at the nation’s highest court, today, one judge in Kentucky has, without basis in the Kentucky Constitution, allowed two clinics to resume abortions. We cannot let the same mistake that happened in Roe v. Wade, nearly 50 years ago, to be made again in Kentucky. We will be seeking relief from this order," he said in a statement. 

Kentucky is one of a number of states that has banned abortion since last Friday's ruling by the high court. Some states have, similarly to Kentucky, had their enforcement of bans paused as legal challenged percolate through the courts.