On January 27, 2017, Kentucky will have one abortion clinic remaining in the state. EMW Women’s Clinic currently operates an abortion chain in Kentucky, but will be left with just its facility in Louisville, as the one in Lexington is shutting its doors before the end of the month.
The Lexington abortion facility encountered a number of operational issues, and it failed to meet the state’s requirements for a license. This failure required the Inspector General of Kentucky to deny a license to EMW, and without this license, the abortion facility cannot operate. Additionally, EMW revealed that its “landlord has also declined to renew our lease on the space we have occupied at 161 Burt Road since 1989.”
EMW’s website reveals that D&E abortions are committed at the Louisville location, up to 22 weeks. Former abortionist, Dr. Anthony Levatino, explains a D&E abortion through medical animation in the video below:
While the Louisville facility will continue to perform the violent D&E abortion procedure on children from 16 weeks on, it is now required by law to stop performing abortions after 20 weeks. (So far, EMW’s website does not reflect this change, even though the recent Kentucky law banning abortions at 20 weeks went into effect immediately when Governor Matt Bevin signed it on January 7, 2017.)
Kentucky became the 19th state in the country to ban abortions at 20 weeks, and on January 27, it will earn the honor of becoming one of a growing handful of states with a single abortion facility remaining.