FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 29, 2020) – Attorney General Daniel Cameron today joined pro-life legislators, supporters, and groups for a press conference following the conclusion of oral argument before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in defense of a Kentucky law banning live dismemberment abortions. HB 454, known as the Human Rights of Unborn Children Act, was passed in 2018 by the General Assembly and requires abortion providers to ensure that the unborn child dies before beginning the dismemberment procedure.
Attorney General Cameron released the following statement after the Sixth Circuit argument:
Today, a Sixth Circuit panel heard oral argument in EMW v. Friedlander, a case concerning Kentucky’s ability to require abortion providers to perform Dilation and Evacuation abortions in a more humane way. The U.S. Supreme Court has recognized in Gonzales v. Carhart that this same abortion procedure, "is laden with the power to devalue human life." The people of Kentucky agree with that sentiment, and that is why in 2018, our General Assembly passed House Bill 454 by overwhelming bipartisan margins.
HB 454 does not ban the Dilation and Evacuation procedure in Kentucky, but it simply requires abortion providers to ensure that the unborn child dies before beginning the dismemberment procedure. This is, without question, a more humane way to perform the procedure. At issue today is our ability, as Kentuckians, to show compassion to the most vulnerable. That is a core mission of my office, to stand up for the voiceless. While we are confident in the compelling case made by our office before the court today, we will defend the law all the way to the United States Supreme Court, if necessary. That is my pledge to the people of Kentucky.