Attorneys for Kentucky woman seeking abortion withdraw lawsuit [View all]

Source: ABC News/AP

December 18, 2023, 10:55 AM


LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Attorneys for a Kentucky woman who sued demanding the right to an abortion withdrew the lawsuit after the woman learned her embryo no longer has cardiac activity.

In a court filing Sunday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky told a judge the attorneys will “voluntarily dismiss” the lawsuit that was filed Dec. 8. Lawyers for the woman pointed to a Kentucky Supreme Court decision that said abortion providers cannot sue on behalf of their patients, limiting the legal actions to individuals seeking an abortion. The lawsuit had sought class-action status.

“The court’s decision has forced Kentuckians seeking abortion to bring a lawsuit while in the middle of seeking time-sensitive health care, a daunting feat, and one that should not be necessary to reclaim the fundamental right to control their own bodies,” the ACLU of Kentucky said in a release Monday. The attorneys said they would continue to look for possible plaintiffs.

The case — Jane Doe, et al. v. Daniel Cameron, et al. — was filed on behalf of an anonymous woman who was about eight weeks pregnant. Last week, just a few days after the suit was filed, lawyers sent notice that the embryo has no cardiac activity.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/attorneys-kentucky-woman-seeking-abortion-withdraw-lawsuit-105742940