Kentucky gov sues Planned Parenthood over abortions

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin announced Thursday that the state has filed a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky Inc. for operating a facility in which it alleges that 23 abortions were performed unlawfully from Dec. 3 through Jan. 28.

The lawsuit is the latest development in the clash between Bevin and Planned Parenthood, which has said it was operating under instructions of the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services when it began offering abortions in December at its new clinic in downtown Louisville.

Planned Parenthood suspended offering all abortions while the agency tries to resolve its dispute with the Bevin administration about its effort to obtain a license for the clinic.

The license application was filed last year under the administration of Bevin’s predecessor, former Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat. But it had not received the license when it began offering abortions.

Planned Parenthood: Ex-governor's officials gave abortion OK

The lawsuit, filed in Jefferson Circuit Court, claims Planned Parenthood tried to rush the license application though the cabinet in the final days of the Beshear administration, believing it would be more sympathetic than the incoming governor, an anti-abortion Republican.

“Although I am an unapologetically pro-life individual, I recognize and accept that there are some laws on the books that I do not necessarily agree with,” Bevin said in a press release announcing the lawsuit. “However, we are a nation of laws, and my job is to ensure that they are followed regardless of my personal opinion. This administration will have no tolerance for the type of brazen disregard that Planned Parenthood has shown for both the safety of women and the rule of law.”

The lawsuit said Planned Parenthood can be fined from $500 to $10,000 a day per violation.

The Bevin administration has said the Planned Parenthood license application was deficient because the organization lacked proper agreements with a local hospital and ambulance service in case a patient needed the be transported to a hospital.

Planned Parenthood said it will resubmit updates agreements as part of its application.

But the lawsuit claims that by using what the Bevin administration deemed deficient agreements, "Planned Parenthood knowingly and callously endangered the lives of its patients and began performing abortions at its facility on Dec. 3."

Planned Parenthood officials have said they were simply following the timetable they established as part of moving into the new clinic in December and followed the directives of the cabinet on how to obtain a license. As part of that, they said they were directed to begin all services, including abortions, so the clinic could be inspected prior to final issuance of a license by the cabinet's Office of Inspector General.

Planned Parenthood has released emails and other communications with cabinet officials in support of its claim.

Planned Parenthood officials were not immediately available for comment Thursday