In 1989 the Supreme Court decided that states could start imposing restrictions on a woman seeking an abortion. Then Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky Suzy Post knew that it was only a matter of time before Kentucky politicians would seek to impose their will on Kentuckians, meaning safe, legal abortions would not be available, or very hard to obtain. To combat this type of legislation, 25 years ago she founded the Reproductive Freedom Project (RFP). She immediately set out to raise the funds to support the project, and a RFP Director was hired, doubling the ACLU of Kentucky’s staff size to two.
Just as the ACLU of Kentucky’s staff and influence has grown over the years, so has the work of the RFP. Over the past 25 years, the RFP’s four directors have fought numerous legislative battles, such as a mandatory second trip to an abortion clinic, bans on abortion, bans on contraception, hospital mergers, and so-called conscience clauses which allow medical professionals to deny treatment to men and women based on their beliefs and not the patients’ needs. The ACLU of Kentucky’s RFP has been the stopping point for anti-choice legislation in the commonwealth. Kentucky is the only state in the South that has not passed any anti-choice legislation in the past five years, and we are working hard to keep it that way!
In 2014 we recognize our history, celebrate our victories, and renew our pledge to do all that we can to protect, preserve and extend reproductive freedom to all Kentuckians. We are planning a series of special events in celebration of this milestone anniversary throughout the year. Keep an eye on our website, Facebook and Twitter accounts for details as we finalize plans.
