Summary
Kentucky House Bill 454 prevented live dismemberment of unborn children at 11 weeks post-fertilization. Under the law, if a pregnant woman wanted to undergo a dilation and extraction (D&E) abortion after that point, she first had to undergo a procedure ending the life of her unborn child.
The only licensed abortion facility in the state filed a lawsuit challenging the law and claiming it violated a woman’s so-called “right to an abortion.” A federal district court ruled in favor of the abortion facility. Meanwhile, Adam Meier, Secretary of Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services was replaced by Eric Friedlander. After a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit affirmed the district court ruling, Friedlander said he would no longer defend HB 454 by seeking rehearing en banc or Supreme Court review. So Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron moved to intervene in the case to defend the law.
When the 6th Circuit panel prevented the Kentucky Attorney General from intervening, he appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Alliance Defending Freedom funded an amicus brief on Cameron’s behalf, and in March 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that the attorney general should have been allowed to intervene in the case.