A Kentucky judge has ruled against three Jewish women who filed a lawsuit contending that a state law protecting preborn children from abortion violated their religious freedom.
Jefferson County Circuit Judge Brian Edwards on Friday dismissed the lawsuit filed by Lisa Sobel, Jessica Kalb and Sarah Baron. The case centered largely around in-vitro fertilization (IVF), with the women arguing that because the law states that life begins at conception (which they claim is a religious belief), they would not be able to discard unwanted embryos. Kalb, who currently has nine frozen embryos, stated that she was afraid to use them because of the law, and noted that she didn’t want to have nine more pregnancies.
In his dismissal, Edwards said the women’s’ claims didn’t hold merit because their “alleged injuries … are hypothetical as none are currently pregnant or undergoing IVF at the present time.”
READ: Woman says IVF is a ‘cash cow’ that pro-lifers shouldn’t defend
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman praised the court’s decision to throw out the lawsuit and uphold the state’s law, but he also championed the idea that IVF — which kills preborn children at a higher rate than abortion — remains protected in the state.
“We applaud the Court’s decision to uphold Kentucky law,” Coleman said in a news release Friday evening. “Most importantly, the Court eliminates any notion that access to IVF services in our Commonwealth is at risk. Today’s opinion is a welcome reassurance to the many Kentuckians seeking to become parents.”
As Live Action News has shown, IVF is not a pro-life solution to infertility, because it often results in the destruction of unused or unwanted embryos. Because life begins at the moment of fertilization, this is the ending of preborn lives. The fact that life begins at fertilization is not a religious belief, but a scientific one, overwhelmingly backed by scientific journals, textbooks, and professionals.
Lawyers for the women say their fight is not yet over.
“After thirteen months of waiting, we received a nine-page decision that we feel fails to comport with the law and makes numerous obvious errors,” stated Aaron Kemper, an attorney for the women. “Our nation is waiting for a judiciary brave enough to do what the law and our traditions require. Our clients demand that we continue the fight and we look forward to review by higher courts.”
