On Wednesday, Kentucky’s last remaining abortion clinic heads to court to argue for its right to stay open.

Six months ago, EMW Women’s Surgical Center, an abortion clinic in Louisville, received a letter from the state’s office of Health and Family Services stating the clinic would have to shut down within 10 days if it could not get the proper paperwork. The state claimed the clinic’s agreements with a local hospital and ambulance service, required under a law specifically targeting abortion providers, were invalid.

EMW, represented by the ACLU of Kentucky, filed suit against the state — arguing that not only were the agreements still valid, but that imposing this paperwork in the first place also poses an unnecessary burden on the clinic. Thanks to a temporary restraining order that blocked the state’s ability to enforce the requirement until the trial, the clinic has been able to continue operating.

Now, both sides will argue over the validity of these agreements. But in reality they’re arguing over a much larger issue: whether the residents of the commonwealth of Kentucky deserve safe access to abortion in their state.


Watch the video above to hear directly from Kentuckians in the fight to save EMW Women’s Surgical Center.