Kentucky Supreme Court upholds two pro-life state laws

The Kentucky Supreme Court this week refused to strike down two major pro-life laws in the state, leaving them in place but sending one back to lower courts for further consideration. 

Abortion providers argued that the state's heartbeat bill and trigger ban violated the constitutional rights of those seeking abortion there. The court said in its ruling that abortion providers "do not have third-party standing to assert the constitutional rights of their patients."

The court indicated that further challenges to abortion laws in the state may be possible. 

"Nothing in this opinion shall be construed to prevent an appropriate party from filing suit at a later date," Deputy Chief Justice Debra Hembree Lambert wrote in an opinion. 

Pro-life advocates celebrated the ruling this week. Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver, whose organization filed an amicus brief in support of the pro-life laws, said in a press release: “The tide is finally turning in favor of protecting all human life."

"The right to life is the right of all rights. Without the right to life, all other rights are meaningless," Staver added.