International

Kentucky Supreme Court set to weigh statewide abortion bans

Published

4 years ago

November 15, 2022

The future of abortion rights in Kentucky reaches a defining moment Tuesday when the state’s highest court hears arguments over a sweeping abortion ban put in place by the Republican-led legislature.

The case before Kentucky’s Supreme Court is the first legal test since voters in Kentucky and three other states signaled their support for abortion rights in last week’s midterm election. Kentuckians rejected a ballot measure that would have denied abortion rights in the state’s Constitution.

“Its defeat –- at the least –- keeps alive the plaintiffs’ claim that the Kentucky Constitution protects a woman’s right to choose,” University of Louisville law professor Samuel Marcosson said ahead of the court hearing. “The outcome doesn’t establish that there is such a right; that remains a question for the court depending on their view of the scope of the Kentucky constitutional right to privacy.”

The Kentucky justices will review a challenge to the state’s trigger law that banned nearly all abortions, taking effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned in June by the U.S. Supreme Court. Approved in 2019, the law carved out narrow exceptions to save a pregnant woman’s life or to prevent disabling injury. There are no exceptions for rape or incest victims.

READ ALSO:

What impact, if any, the anti-abortion measure’s defeat will have on the Kentucky court was a matter for intense debate in the days leading up to the hearing.

Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, expressed hope that the state’s highest court “will listen to the will of the people and know that the people have rejected extremism and rule accordingly.”

His chief nemesis, Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron, whose office is defending the statewide ban in court, continued to claim there’s “no right to abortion hidden in Kentucky’s Constitution.” He said abortion policy should be left up to the state’s legislature, where GOP majorities have passed a series of anti-abortion measures in recent years. Cameron is among several Republicans vying to challenge Beshear’s reelection bid in 2023.

The hearing comes a week after abortion rights supporters won every state ballot question put before voters in the midterm elections. Michigan, California and Vermont voted to enshrine abortion rights in their state constitutions. Voters in Montana rejected a ballot measure that would have forced medical workers to attempt lifesaving measures in the rare event of a baby born after an attempted abortion.

In Kentucky, the abortion case wound its way through lower courts before reaching the Supreme Court as the referendum battle played out in the background. In July, a Louisville judge said the new, post-Roe abortion bans likely violate “the rights to privacy and self-determination” protected by Kentucky’s Constitution. Judge Mitch Perry said it was not the court’s role to determine whether the state Constitution contains the right to abortion, but whether the state’s restrictive laws violate freedoms guaranteed by its Constitution.

READ ALSO:

The near-total abortion ban was reinstated on an appeal to the intermediate state Court of Appeals. The state Supreme Court later opted to keep the abortion ban in place while it reviews the case, leaving abortions on hold in Kentucky and forcing women who can afford the procedure to look elsewhere. A separate six-week ban that Kentucky lawmakers approved also is being challenged by the two remaining abortion clinics in the Bluegrass State — both in Louisville, the state’s largest city — and would almost certainly be impacted if the justices determine that the state Constitution protects the right to an abortion.

A year ago, Kentucky lawmakers added the anti-abortion amendment to the 2022 general election slate as abortion foes hoped to cut off a legal path to restoring abortion rights. The measure would have declared the state Constitution didn’t protect the right to an abortion. Some thought the move would drive more conservative voters to the polls at a time before Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Now that the amendment has been defeated, the focus turns to legal arguments surrounding abortion rights. The stakes are seen as enormous as Kentucky’s justices prepare to hear arguments from both sides.

“If the state Supreme Court finds the Kentucky Constitution doesn’t limit the General Assembly’s authority to regulate abortion, then neither the U.S. nor the state Constitution would place limits on the potential abortion restrictions the legislature could enact,” Marcosson said. “This case is almost certainly the only realistic path to protecting abortion rights in Kentucky for the foreseeable future.”

The Independent

Related Topics:abortion Kentucky Supreme Court

Up Next

Zelenskiy tells G20 leaders Ukraine war ‘must and can be ended’ now

Don't Miss

Biden, Xi seek to ‘manage our differences’ in meeting

International

Five Dead After Coach Carrying Dutch Tourists Overturns in Switzerland

Published

5 hours ago

September 11, 2026

Hamdalat Bisiriyu

Five Dead After Coach Carrying Dutch Tourists Overturns in Switzerland

A holiday trip in Switzerland has ended in tragedy after a coach carrying 45 Dutch adults overturned in the eastern part of the country, killing five people and injuring the remaining passengers.

The crash occurred on Thursday afternoon on the road linking Susch and Zernez in the Graubünden region. Police said the vehicle went off the roadway while passing through an area where construction work was taking place before overturning.

Three of those injured are in serious condition, while another 37 people sustained less severe injuries. The driver, who is also Dutch, survived the crash but was among those taken for medical treatment.

READ ALSO:

Authorities have begun investigating the incident and are working to establish what caused the coach to leave the road.

Tour operator Oad said the company was devastated by the deaths and described the incident as a deeply shocking tragedy.

The crash took place close to Zernez, a popular gateway to Switzerland’s National Park, a large Alpine nature reserve in the Engadine valley.

Five Dead After Coach Carrying Dutch Tourists Overturns in Switzerland

International

Iran’s President Seeks End to War as US Tightens Economic Pressure

Published

6 hours ago

September 11, 2026

Hamdalat Bisiriyu

Iran’s President Seeks End to War as US Tightens Economic Pressure

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said he does not support prolonging the war with the United States, while urging Iran to strengthen its economic and political resilience.

Speaking to university leaders, Pezeshkian said Tehran must avoid entering negotiations from a position of weakness, particularly as the US increases pressure through its Operation Economic Outcast campaign.

He called on universities to help the government tackle the country’s economic and social challenges, warning that poorly planned policies could worsen existing problems.

READ ALSO:

Pezeshkian also urged young Iranians, including Generation Z students, to contribute to solving social problems rather than allowing frustration to fuel protests.

The president said he was willing to work with different political groups and anyone capable of helping Iran overcome its current difficulties.

His comments come amid growing pressure on Tehran to find a way forward. The conflict began on February 28, when the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, prompting Iranian missile and drone strikes against Israel and US positions across the region.

With Washington now intensifying economic pressure, Pezeshkian’s remarks reflect the challenge facing Tehran: resisting US demands while preventing the prolonged conflict and sanctions from further weakening the country.

Iran’s President Seeks End to War as US Tightens Economic Pressure

Africa

Murder of Nigerian Bishop in South Africa Sparks Outcry Over Unsolved Killings

Published

8 hours ago

September 11, 2026

Hamdalat Bisiriyu

Murder of Nigerian Bishop in South Africa Sparks Outcry Over Unsolved Killings

Family and community leaders rally for justice after 58-year-old cleric from Ekiti is assassinated in his Johannesburg residence.

To his congregation and loved ones, Nigerian clergyman Bishop Taiwo Michael Fakunle was a pillar of faith and moral guidance. But that sanctuary was violently shattered inside his Kensington home in Johannesburg when two gunmen forced their way inside and opened fire at point-blank range.

Hit more than seven times, the 58-year-old Ekiti native died at the scene, sending shockwaves across the Nigerian expatriate community and turning deep grief into a collective cry for justice.

Leading the push for accountability, the Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa (NICASA) voiced the community’s sorrow and growing frustration with violent crime.

READ ALSO:

Association leaders stressed that Bishop Fakunle’s family, church, and compatriots deserve clear answers rather than empty reassurances.

Urging South African investigators to act with speed and transparency, the group warned authorities against letting the tragedy become another forgotten statistic in an endless stack of unsolved homicides.

As detectives at Jeppe Police Station proceed with the murder inquiry, community heads are calling for robust oversight from Nigerian diplomats while urging the public to exercise restraint.

Despite the intense anger surrounding the brazen attack, leaders emphasized that justice must be pursued through legitimate legal channels.

As mourners across South Africa and Nigeria remember the slain bishop, their message to investigators remains clear: the community will not look away until those responsible are brought before a judge.