Mary Poe v. Russell Coleman, et al.
What's at Stake
A Kentucky woman who is pregnant and seeking an abortion filed a lawsuit in Jefferson County Circuit Court seeking to strike down two abortion bans under the state constitutional rights to privacy and self-determination. The case details the severe harms that Kentuckians seeking abortion, like Plaintiff Mary Poe suffer because the government denies them access to the care they needs The lawsuit also requests the court certify a class of all pregnant individuals who seek access to abortion in the Commonwealth but cannot obtain that care because of Kentucky’s abortion bans. If successful, this lawsuit would restore access to abortion in the Commonwealth.
Summary
A prior lawsuit challenging the same bans was brought by abortion providers on behalf of their patients in 2022, in the days after Roe v. Wade was overturned. After a trial court initially blocked the bans, then-Attorney General Daniel Cameron appealed the decision and a court allowed the bans to go into effect shortly after. The case ultimately made its way to the Supreme Court of Kentucky, which issued a ruling in February 2023 saying that abortion providers could not raise the constitutional rights of their patients in cases brought in Kentucky courts.
The new case was brought by a Kentucky woman, referred to as Mary Poe in the filing, who is approximately seven weeks pregnant and seeking an abortion but cannot obtain one because of the Commonwealth’s abortion bans. Mary Poe is represented by attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Kentucky, and Kaplan, Johnson, Abate & Bird, LLP, and she sues on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated.
Legal Documents
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Complaint, Mary Poe v. Russell Coleman, et al.
Affiliate: Kentucky
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Kentucky Woman Files Class-Action Lawsuit Against Two Abortion Bans