Kentucky denies Planned Parenthood abortion license, says it broke law
The administration of Gov. Matt Bevin has refused to issue a license to Planned Parenthood to perform abortions at its Louisville clinic, claiming the reproductive health organization violated state law by temporarily providing abortions without a license almost four years ago.
Planned Parenthood disputes any violation of state law, saying state health officials under former Gov. Steve Beshear had authorized the procedure.
But in a letter Friday, Adam Meier, secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, informed Planned Parenthood that the state is denying the license because the 23 previous abortions between December 2015 and January 2016 represent a "substantial failure" to comply with state law.
The decision comes amid an ongoing federal court battle in which Planned Parenthood alleges state officials, under Bevin, an anti-abortion Republican, are deliberately obstructing its...