In a decision in favor of abortion advocates across the state, a federal judge temporarily blocked Kentucky officials from enforcing a new abortion law on Thursday. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings in Louisville issued a temporary restraining order at Planned Parenthood's request a week after the law went into effect. The measure passed on April 13 made Kentucky the first U.S. state without legal abortion access since 1973.
According to Jennings, because the law went into effect immediately, there was not enough time for regulations governing abortion to be written for clinics to comply with, as the law required. At least two of the state’s remaining clinics said they couldn’t meet the law’s requirements and filed lawsuits challenging the law.