In a shocking turn of events, the anonymous woman known as “Jane Doe” serving as a plaintiff for Planned Parenthood and the ACLU in Kentucky has requested that her lawsuit be dismissed. No reason was given.
Earlier this month, Doe sued the state of Kentucky and sought class action status for her suit. At the time, she was eight weeks pregnant and said she wanted an abortion. Sadly, she almost immediately suffered a miscarriage, though her attorneys said she would proceed with the lawsuit. It is not clear what has caused her to change her mind, but according to local news reports, she has now filed a motion for her case to be dismissed.
In June, Planned Parenthood was forced to drop a lawsuit against Kentucky, as they did not have a plaintiff willing to say they had been harmed by the state’s pro-life laws. The Supreme Court ruled that the abortion corporation could not sue on behalf of potential plaintiffs, and Planned Parenthood said finding a plaintiff willing to sue had been a “major barrier” for them.
Though Jane Doe no longer wants to sue, the ACLU released a statement saying they plan to continue fighting — ostensibly meaning they intend to find a replacement for “Jane Doe” — and, strangely, blamed the Kentucky Supreme Court for Doe’s decision to withdraw her lawsuit.
“The Kentucky Supreme Court’s decision earlier this year to take away health care providers’ ability to raise the rights of their patients has backed Kentuckians into a corner,” the statement said. “The court’s decision has forced Kentuckians seeking abortion to bring a lawsuit while in the middle of seeking time-sensitive health care, a daunting feat, and one that should not be necessary to reclaim the fundamental right to control their own bodies. But we won’t stop fighting.”
The ACLU and Planned Parenthood are already asking for other women to come forward and say they have been “harmed” by the state’s laws protecting preborn children.
Kentucky Right to Life likewise responded to the news, saying that while they were happy to see the lawsuit was withdrawn, the fight is still not over. “Although we express gratitude for the withdrawal of the current lawsuit, it is imperative to acknowledge that the issue at hand persists,” their statement read. “The ACLU and Planned Parenthood, undeterred, signal their intent to continue challenging Kentucky’s near-total abortion ban.”
