Kentucky's law requiring doctors to conduct an ultrasound exam before an abortion and then try to show fetal images as well as play the fetal heartbeat to the pregnant woman has been struck down by a federal court.
Judge David J. Hale said in the one-page ruling Wednesday night that the law violates the First Amendment rights of physicians.
The ACLU said in a statement that the court recognized that the law "appears to inflict psychological harm on abortion patients," and causes them to "experience distress as a result."
Attorney Alexa Kolbi-Molinas with the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project said in the statement that, "We are pleased that Kentuckians will no longer be subjected to this demeaning and degrading invasion into their personal health care decisions."
