April 13 (Reuters) - Kentucky effectively suspended legal abortion access on Wednesday as the legislature enacted a sweeping anti-abortion law that took effect right away and forces providers to stop offering abortions until they can meet certain requirements.
The impact of the law makes Kentucky the first U.S. state without legal abortion access since the 1973 Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade established the right to end a pregnancy before the fetus is viable, abortion providers say.
Abortion rights advocacy groups have said they will challenge the bill in court.
It calls for a combination birth-death or stillbirth certificate to be issued for each abortion, and it bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, vetoed the bill on Friday, but the Republican-majority House and Senate overrode his veto on Wednesday evening.
Two provisions in the abortion legislation hinder the state's abortion clinics from operating, according to Planned Parenthood's Kentucky state director Tamarra Wieder.
During arguments in the case, the conservative justices signaled a willingness to dramatically curtail abortion rights in the United States. »
