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Kentucky's Only Abortion Clinic Gets Support of 21 Attorneys General

EMW Women's Surgical Center in Louisville, Kentucky
EMW Women's Surgical Center/facebook
EMW Women's Surgical Center in Louisville, Kentucky
EMW Women's Surgical Center in Louisville, Kentucky
Credit EMW Women's Surgical Center/facebook
EMW Women's Surgical Center in Louisville, Kentucky

The controversy over Kentucky’s only abortion clinic continues to draw national attention.  The latest development is that Kentucky’s Democratic Attorney General filed a 'friend of the court' brief on April 4, supported by 21 attorneys general from across the U.S. in the effort to keep the clinic open.

The filing is related to a regulation requiring a 'transfer and transport agreement' that would have necessitated the EMW Women’s Surgical Clinic in Louisville have an agreement with an ambulance service to 'transport' a patient to a hospital in case of an emergency. A 'transfer' agreement would mean a hospital agreed to treat a patient of the EMW Clinic who shows up at an emergency room.

Republican Governor Matt Bevin, who is opposed to abortion, used that requirement in an effort to shut down the clinic, claiming the EMW Clinic did not adequately meet transport and transfer agreement regulations, something he says is necessary to protect women’s health.

U.S. District Judge Greg Stivers found the transfer and transport regulation unconstitutional. A spokesperson for the ACLU of Kentucky, which represents the clinic, said when a patient calls 911 emergency responders are required to transport the person and emergency rooms are required to treat a person who shows up. So the ACLU said Stivers’ decision confirmed their  view.

Governor Bevin appealed the Stivers decision to the U.S. 6th District Court of Appeals.

Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear filed the 'friend of the court' brief in the 6th District asking that Judge Stivers’ decision be upheld. 

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Rhonda Miller began as reporter and host for All Things Considered on WKU Public Radio in 2015. She has worked as Gulf Coast reporter for Mississippi Public Broadcasting, where she won Associated Press, Edward R. Murrow and Green Eyeshade awards for stories on dead sea turtles, health and legal issues arising from the 2010 BP oil spill and homeless veterans. She has worked at Rhode Island Public Radio, as an intern at WVTF Public Radio in Roanoke, Virginia, and at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Rhonda’s freelance work called Writing Into Sound includes stories for Voice of America, WSHU Public Radio in Fairfield, Conn., NPR and AARP Prime Time Radio. She has a master’s degree in media studies from Rhode Island College and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University. Rhonda enjoys quiet water kayaking, riding her bicycle and folk music. She was a volunteer DJ for Root-N-Branch at WUMD community radio in Dartmouth, Mass.