Trial over Kentucky abortion law in judge’s hands

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The fate of a Kentucky abortion law is in the hands of a federal judge after a trial wrapped up Monday over a lawsuit pitting Gov. Matt Bevin’s administration and the state’s only abortion clinic.

The suit challenges a law aimed at a common second-trimester procedure to end pregnancies. An ACLU attorney representing the clinic says the law is unconstitutional because it would essentially end abortion access for women 15 weeks into their pregnancy.

Bevin’s lead attorney describes the procedure as “brutal, gruesome and inhumane.” The state’s legal team says the law doesn’t ban the procedure but requires other methods be used first to cause fetal demise. The clinic’s lawyers say those methods can cause medical risks for patients.

Chief District Judge Joseph McKinley Jr. will issue a decision later.