Bills introduced in Kentucky Senate requiring 24-hour forced delay before woman can have an abortion
In-person counseling requirement would further restrict limited abortion access in Ky.
FRANKFORT – Two bills that mandate an in-person counseling session between a woman and her physician 24 hours before an abortion procedure, even in cases of rape or incest, were filed in the Kentucky Senate on Tuesday.
Existing law already requires a woman to receive state-directed counseling before an abortion procedure. Under the Senate bills, this counseling must be provided in-person at one of Kentucky’s two remaining abortion clinics, which are located in Lexington or Louisville. This forced delay period necessitates two, separate trips by women seeking the procedure.
“SB 4 and SB 46 are calculated to create needless obstacles and financial hardships to prevent women from seeking medical treatment to which they are legally entitled,” said Derek Selznick, Reproductive Freedom Project Director for the ACLU of Kentucky. “This is simply another attempt by certain members of the Kentucky General Assembly to improperly interfere with the physician-patient relationship and discourage women from undergoing this procedure.”
Since 2001, Kentucky physicians have been permitted to utilize telemedicine, which allow doctors to communicate with their patients about medical issues by telephone, including advising patients about the risks associated with medication or surgery. However, SB 4 and SB 46 would prohibit the use of telemedicine for abortion procedures.
“SB 4 and SB 46 discriminate against women, particularly women who do not live in or near Louisville or Lexington,” Selznick said. “Doctors should be able to provide telemedicine to women seeking abortions, just as this convenience is available to all other Kentucky residents undergoing other types of medical treatments.”
Selznick said he expects that other anti-abortion legislation to be filed in the Kentucky General Assembly in coming days.
