A pregnant woman in Kentucky who filed a lawsuit demanding the right to an abortion has learned her embryo no longer has cardiac activity, her attorneys said Tuesday.
The plaintiff's attorneys signalled their intent to continue the challenge to Kentucky's near-total abortion ban, but did not immediately comment on what effect the development would have on the lawsuit.
The complaint was filed last week in a state court in Louisville. The plaintiff, identified only as Jane Doe, was seeking class-action status to include other Kentuckians who are or will become pregnant and want to have an abortion. The suit filed last week said she was about eight weeks pregnant.
The flurry of individual women petitioning a court for permission for an abortion is the latest development since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. The Kentucky case is similar to a legal battle taking place in Texas, where Kate Cox, a pregnant woman with a fatal condition, launched an unprecedented challenge against one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the U.S.
But unlike the Texas case, little is known about the Kentucky plaintiff. Her attorneys have insisted they would fiercely protect their client's privacy, stressing that Jane Doe believes "everyone should have the right to make decisions privately and make decisions for their own families," Amber Duke, executive director for the ACLU of Kentucky, said last week. Her legal team also declined to disclose whether Jane Doe still needed an abortion.
Instead, Jane Doe's attorneys urged other women who are pregnant and seeking an abortion in the Bluegrass State to reach out if they are interested in joining the case. The lawsuit says Kentucky's near-total abortion ban violates the plaintiff's rights to privacy and self-determination under the state constitution.
"Jane Doe sought an abortion in Kentucky, and when she could not get one, she bravely came forward to challenge the state's abortion ban," ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project deputy director Brigitte Amiri said in a statement. "Although she decided to have an abortion, the government denied her the freedom to control her body. Countless Kentuckians face the same harm every day as the result of the abortion ban."
According to court documents, Jane Doe had a medical appointment on Dec. 8 -- after the lawsuit was filed -- where no cardiac activity was discovered after an ultrasound was performed.
In the Texas case, Cox, a 31-year-old mother of two, had been seeking court permission to end her pregnancy in a state where abortion is only allowed in narrow exceptions when the life of the mother is in danger -- not for fetal anomalies. Before the Texas Supreme Court on Monday rejected Cox's request, her attorneys said she had left the state to get an abortion elsewhere because she could not wait any longer due to concerns that remaining pregnant would jeopardize her health and her ability to have more children.
While Cox is believed to be the first to make such a request, her legal team and other experts anticipate other challenges among the dozen of other GOP-controlled states where abortion is largely prohibited at all stages of pregnancy. Meanwhile, a handful of separate legal challenges are taking place across the country highlighting the stories from women who were denied abortions while facing harrowing pregnancy complications.
Earlier this year, Kentucky's Supreme Court refused to halt the state's near-total abortion ban and another outlawing abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy. The justices focused on narrow legal issues but did not resolve larger constitutional questions about whether access to abortion should be legal in the state.
The legal challenge revolves around Kentucky's near-total trigger law ban and a separate six-week ban -- both passed by Republican legislative majorities. The trigger law was passed in 2019 and took effect when Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. It bans abortions except when they are carried out to save the life of the patient or to prevent disabling injury. It does not include exceptions for cases of rape or incest.
Kentucky voters last year rejected a ballot measure that would have denied any constitutional protections for abortion, but abortion rights supporters have made no inroads in the Republican-controlled Legislature in chipping away at the state's anti-abortion laws.
As a result of the ruling, patient-led challenges "are our only path forward to strike down the bans under the right to privacy and right to self-determination," Amiri said.
"We will do everything we can to restore abortion access in Kentucky," she said.
Canada is listing the pro-Palestinian group Samidoun as a terrorist group, while the U.S. has added a Canadian citizen affiliated with the organization to its counter-terrorism list.
For the second straight month, grocery prices in Canada rose faster than the inflation rate, and beef in particular is significantly pricier than it was last year.
An Air India flight, en route from Delhi to Chicago, was diverted to Iqaluit International airport in Nunavut Tuesday morning following an online security threat.
Lufthansa has agreed to pay a US$4 million penalty for allegedly discriminating against Jewish passengers who were trying to board a connecting flight in Frankfurt in May 2022, the U.S. Transportation Department said on Tuesday.
The chances of a half-percentage point interest rate cut by the Bank of Canada became more likely Tuesday after Statistics Canada reported the annual inflation rate fell to 1.6 per cent in September.
It will feel more like winter for some parts of Eastern Canada over the next few days, with single-digit highs and snow in the forecast.
As Canada's decision to expel New Delhi's top envoy and five other diplomats makes front page news in India, International Trade Minister Mary Ng is trying to reassure Canadian businesses with ties to the country.
A federal union is calling for a Commons committee to launch an investigation into the federal government's new return-to-office policy, saying there has been 'catastrophic failures' with the new mandate.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is revealing that he’s eagerly awaiting Taylor Swift’s upcoming stint in Toronto as part of her hyper-successful Eras Tour.
A Metro Vancouver man will spend up to four years in prison before he is deported after pleading guilty to a triple stabbing that left his sister-in-law dead and two others, including a two-year-old girl, seriously injured.
A child is dead after falling from a Winnipeg apartment building on Monday.
Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria says the provincial government is introducing legislation that would require municipalities to receive provincial approval before removing traffic lanes to install new bike paths.
Charges have been withdrawn against a man and a woman who faced a combined 90 charges in a child and animal abuse case.
A federal union is calling for a Commons committee to launch an investigation into the federal government's new return-to-office policy, saying there has been 'catastrophic failures' with the new mandate.
An Air India flight, en route from Delhi to Chicago, was diverted to Iqaluit International airport in Nunavut Tuesday morning following an online security threat.
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both pushed Tuesday to energize key constituencies that their allies worry might be slipping away, with the vice-president looking to reach Black men and the former president focusing on women.
An Air India flight, en route from Delhi to Chicago, was diverted to Iqaluit International airport in Nunavut Tuesday morning following an online security threat.
Prague, a city as famous for its beer as its historic architecture, is set to ban late-night bar crawls, seeking to end its reputation as a party destination.
Lufthansa has agreed to pay a US$4 million penalty for allegedly discriminating against Jewish passengers who were trying to board a connecting flight in Frankfurt in May 2022, the U.S. Transportation Department said on Tuesday.
AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of the U.S. electorate, tells the story of how Democrat Joe Biden won and Trump lost in 2020, and what those results could mean for the 2024 election.
The funeral of an Iranian Revolutionary Guard general killed alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah drew the largest crowd of top leaders in the paramilitary organization together Tuesday for the first time since Tehran launched a ballistic missile attack on Israel.
Canada is listing the pro-Palestinian group Samidoun as a terrorist group, while the U.S. has added a Canadian citizen affiliated with the organization to its counter-terrorism list.
The public safety minister is expected to testify at a federal inquiry into foreign interference just one day after announcing explosive allegations about crimes of murder, coercion and extortion in Canada linked to agents of the Indian government.
As Canada's decision to expel New Delhi's top envoy and five other diplomats makes front page news in India, International Trade Minister Mary Ng is trying to reassure Canadian businesses with ties to the country.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says a Listeria outbreak linked to several plant-based milks appears to be over with no additional cases reported since August.
As provincial elections play out in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick this month, there are pledges to provide more fertility treatment coverage.
An editorial published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal says it's time to invest in early pregnancy assessment clinics that can provide proper care during and after a miscarriage, which can have devastating effects.
Hong Kong's oldest zoo is seeking answers in a monkey medical mystery after nine animals died in two days, including three members of a critically endangered species.
A NASA spacecraft rocketed away Monday on a quest to explore Jupiter’s tantalizing moon Europa and reveal whether its vast hidden ocean might hold the keys to life.
A so-called 'Moon Tree,' grown with seeds that were flown around the moon, was planted at a California school.
Sean "Diddy" Combs was hit Monday with a new wave of lawsuits accusing him of raping women, sexually assaulting men and molesting a 16-year-old boy.
Khloe Kardashian continues to open up about her health journey after dealing with skin cancer, revealing recently that she used facial injections to fill a cheek "indentation" that she was left with after surgery.
Controversy bubbled for a Canadian drink company after its founders drew the ire of a Marvel superhero on an episode of a 'Shark Tank'-style reality series.
The chances of a half-percentage point interest rate cut by the Bank of Canada became more likely Tuesday after Statistics Canada reported the annual inflation rate fell to 1.6 per cent in September.
Cash-starved Boeing, contending with massive financial losses from a crippling strike and years of operational and safety problems, is turning to major banks and Wall Street to raise tens of billions of dollars in cash.
The Canadian Real Estate Association is downgrading its housing market forecast for the remainder of the year again, saying the Bank of Canada's interest rate cuts haven't spurred the gradual improvement it previously anticipated.
A couple from Owen Sound, Ont. is celebrating their good fortune after becoming instant multi-millionaires with Lotto Max.
Jane Xue sent her dog, a 2-year-old Samoyed named OK, off to her first day of work in mid-September. Her employer? A dog cafe in Fuzhou, in southeastern China.
A Vancouver Aquarium rescue seal named Biscuits has been named as one of the latest inductees to the viral TikTok trend 'Knights of the Rotund Table.'
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Utah Hockey Club right-wing Dylan Guenther, Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel have been named the NHL’s three stars of the week.
The Ontario Provincial Police says the number of fatal collisions caused by distracted driving on the roads it patrols has increased by 40 per cent compared to this time last year.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled on Thursday his vision of a 'a fun, exciting future,' an 'age of abundance' full of his company’s self-driving cars without steering wheels, parking lots turned into parks and robots that will walk among the population – that he once again promised would be available within a few years.
Dozens of cars were pulled out of the Detroit River in west Windsor on Tuesday, causing many questions for Windsorites.
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The Celtic Colours Festival is taking place at venues around Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia from Oct. 11 to 19.
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Canadian hip hop artist Dillan King says running 100 marathons in 100 days was not only the hardest thing he has ever done, but the 'proudest accomplishment' of his entire life.
James Taylor never expected to be walking home with a bag full of groceries he didn't buy.
This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of a large blizzard that paralyzed Manitoba.
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New Democrat Leader David Eby is making a late appeal to voters to support his party even if they never have before, as the British Columbia election campaign enters the home stretch.
Toronto police are appealing to dozens of witnesses who they say were standing nearby when a man was shot to death in an apartment stairwell in the city’s north end last week.
Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria says the provincial government is introducing legislation that would require municipalities to receive provincial approval before removing traffic lanes to install new bike paths.
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Premier Danielle Smith along with her fellow ministers will be sharing an update on Alberta's response to the federal government's cap on oil and gas emissions.
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The Calgary Chamber of Commerce is calling on the province to help small businesses by eliminating small business tax.
A federal union is calling for a Commons committee to launch an investigation into the federal government's new return-to-office policy, saying there has been 'catastrophic failures' with the new mandate.
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St. Michael Catholic High School in Kemptville, Ont. is closed for a fifth time in the last two weeks, as police investigate a threat of violence towards the secondary school.
More Quebecers are turning to the private health care network, according to a survey published Tuesday in the Journal de Quebec.
Police in Laval were once again called to a school that was placed under precautionary lockdown over a threat.
Controversy bubbled for a Canadian drink company after its founders drew the ire of a Marvel superhero on an episode of a 'Shark Tank'-style reality series.
Charges have been withdrawn against a man and a woman who faced a combined 90 charges in a child and animal abuse case.
One person is dead after a crash on Monday night involving a semi and an SUV.
Alberta now has a new provincial health agency to help residents access primary care services, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange announced on Tuesday.
Three people, including a child, were killed in two separate collisions on Highway 101 in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Northumberland Ferries Limited says one of the ferries operating between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island is out of service for the rest of the season.
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A child is dead after falling from a Winnipeg apartment building on Monday.
A 28-year-old Winnipegger is facing charges after an altercation unfolded between a store employee and a man who allegedly tried to steal merchandise from a West Alexander area store.
As work is set to begin to open Portage and Main to pedestrians, drivers should expect delays beginning on Tuesday.
The Saskatchewan Party says that it plans to keep the federal carbon tax off natural gas and electricity used for home heating for one more year if re-elected on Oct. 28.
Regina police say two of four vehicles stolen from a compound early Thursday morning were found badly damaged on railway tracks, with a third located in the nearby community of Pilot Butte.
A commercial building fire near the community of Drinkwater, Sask. required a response from multiple fire departments on Sunday afternoon.
Waterloo Regional Police are investigating a sudden death in Cambridge.
People living in the Ontario and King Street area of Stratford may notice a heavy police presence.
Police are looking for wanted man with connections to Kitchener.
A motel in North Battleford went up in flames on Monday night.
The Saskatchewan Party says that it plans to keep the federal carbon tax off natural gas and electricity used for home heating for one more year if re-elected on Oct. 28.
Saskatchewan residents have just a few more days to catch a rare glimpse of a comet visible to the naked eye, streaking across the western skies at dusk.
It will feel more like winter for some parts of Eastern Canada over the next few days, with single-digit highs and snow in the forecast.
A Greater Sudbury woman is upset about the charges laid against the man accused of attacking her son and a group of his colleagues downtown on Saturday.
Home sales declined in North Bay in September compared to a year earlier, but sale prices held firm, according to data from the Canadian Real Estate Association.
On Saturday, October 12, police say that OPP and police officers from multiple jurisdictions joined a canine unit in executing the search warrants, which resulted in two people being charged.
A couple from Owen Sound has claimed a historic $40 million prize following the largest Lotto Max Jackpot in history.
A St. Thomas police officer has been charged with impaired driving. On Oct. 13, OPP were notified of a potential impaired driver in Elgin County and were able to do a traffic stop.
A couple from Owen Sound, Ont. is celebrating their good fortune after becoming instant multi-millionaires with Lotto Max.
Police in Barrie say a family out for a walk restrained a machete-wielding man who aggressively approached them Saturday afternoon.
Â鶹´«Ã½ has confirmed a Beeton, Ont., man accused in a historical sex crimes case involving a five-year-old girl is facing additional charges.
In his 20 years with MADD Canada, Chaouki Hamka has witnessed many changes regarding impaired driving, from heightened societal awareness to legislative shifts and better enforcement. Still, he says, impaired driving remains the 'leading criminal cause of death' in Canada.
Essex County OPP officers took nine alleged impaired drivers off the road over the Thanksgiving weekend.
A driver has been charged after a crash near E.C. Row Expressway and Dougall Avenue.
A Metro Vancouver man will spend up to four years in prison before he is deported after pleading guilty to a triple stabbing that left his sister-in-law dead and two others, including a two-year-old girl, seriously injured.
The founders of a Vancouver 'compassion club' that sold heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine bought on the dark web and tested for contaminants, have filed a court challenge arguing their Charter rights and the rights of users were violated when the club was shut and they were arrested.
It's the last week of the British Columbia election campaign after a busy long weekend of promises for the B.C. Conservatives, including a new Children's Hospital for Surrey.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.
Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
The Vancouver Giants scored late to force overtime before winning 4-3 over the Lethbridge Hurricanes Friday night.
If you’re looking for something to do this long weekend, the Lethbridge Corn Maze is open and hosting its annual fundraiser on Monday.
Local photographers were amazed by the aurora borealis display in the night sky over Lethbridge on Thursday night.
A suspected impaired driver who tried to walk away after running a red light and crashing into a ditch is facing several charges, Sault police said Tuesday.
Home sales declined in North Bay in September compared to a year earlier, but sale prices held firm, according to data from the Canadian Real Estate Association.
A 36-year-old man is charged with drug-impaired and dangerous driving after a head-on crash in northwest Ontario last Thursday.
A five-hour drive from St. John's, N.L., and well off the beaten path, Point Leamington seems an unlikely spot for a one-of-a-kind tourist attraction.
A Conservative MP from Newfoundland and Labrador says some small towns in his rural riding are overrun with crime, but police say they haven't received reports to that effect.
As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk.
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