Kentucky Judge Blocks Law Banning Abortions When Unborn Baby’s Heart Begins Beating
A federal judge blocked Kentucky’s heartbeat law Friday, allowing unborn babies to continue to be aborted in the state.
U.S District Court Judge David J. Hale, an appointee of President Barack Obama, granted the American Civil Liberties Union’s request to temporarily block the law on the grounds that it is potentially unconstitutional, the Huffington Post reports.
The heartbeat law, which passed last week, would require abortionists to check if an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detectable before performing an abortion; if the baby does have a heartbeat, the abortion would be prohibited. Exceptions would be allowed for medical emergencies.
An unborn baby’s heartbeat is detectable at about six weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant, and abortion activists admit that heartbeat laws ban basically all abortions.
The ACLU filed a lawsuit immediately after Gov. Matt Bevin signed it into law. On Friday, Hale’s order temporarily blocked the state from enforcing the law until another hearing occurs.