Over 430 Kentucky Doctors and Healthcare Providers Unite Against Kentucky’s Extreme Abortion Bans

Written By Ali Hoge

In a strong show of unity, physicians and healthcare providers across Kentucky are joining forces to denounce the state's restrictive abortion laws. These healthcare leaders assert that such laws not only impede reproductive rights but also pose grave risks to the health and well-being of pregnant Kentuckians.

On Wednesday, March 12th,  at the Capitol,  a group of physicians representing over 430 Kentucky doctors and allied healthcare providers, a sharp increase since last year, presented an open letter in a collective call to legislators to repeal the state’s abortion bans. The press conference, led by Kentucky Physicians for Reproductive Freedom, highlighted how these extreme laws have endangered women’s lives, driven medical professionals out of the state, and worsened Kentucky’s already dire maternal health crisis. Their effort is also backed by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, an organization that has nearly 8,000 professionals, as well as the Kentucky Psychiatric Medical Association, and Catholics for Choice

Medical professionals, nurses, and medical students delivered emotional and urgent testimonies, calling on Kentucky lawmakers to reverse the state’s cruel and dangerous abortion restrictions, which allow no exceptions for rape or incest and force doctors to delay or deny care until a patient’s condition reaches life-threatening levels.

Dr. Janet Wygal, a board-certified OBGYN practicing in Kentucky for over 40 years, detailed the worsening healthcare crisis and explained how these laws contradict the guidance of major medical organizations like the AMA and ACOG. She said, “No physicians should be forced to wait until someone becomes sick enough to intervene with basic necessary health care because the government says so. Women's lives are being put at risk. This is how our laws are written now.”

Medical students from the University of Louisville, including Shriya Dodwani and Lilly Deljoo, warned that future doctors are leaving Kentucky, creating a dangerous shortage of medical professionals—especially in rural areas. Dodwani said, “the recent actions of our lawmakers are making it increasingly difficult for me and my peers to stay in Kentucky to train or practice. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires that OBGYN residents have access to abortion training. This isn’t about politics; it’s about ensuring we have the comprehensive skills needed to provide the best care for our patients. Without this training in Kentucky, we are left with no choice but to leave our home state.”

duVergne Gaines, a national expert on anti-abortion extremism, spoke about the growing threats and violence against reproductive healthcare providers and patients. She said, “This is the reality women face—barriers to care, threats to safety, and government policies that endanger their health. Abortion bans don’t just take away reproductive freedom; they embolden extremism, worsen health outcomes, and harm families.”

Dr. Nicole King, a Navy veteran, an anesthesiologist, intensivist and author who spent years specializing in high-risk obstetrical care said, “Doctors in restricted states like Kentucky now work in an impossible gray area, balancing our duty to save lives against the threat of prosecution. In cases where a patient is hemorrhaging or in critical distress, we are often forced to wait until their condition deteriorates further—sometimes dangerously—before intervening.”

Jenn Stedman, a Kentucky nurse, shared heartbreaking stories of pregnant patients forced to endure agony due to restrictive laws, including women suffering miscarriages who were denied care until they were near death. She said, “nurses are forced to stand by, helpless, as our patients suffer, knowing that medically necessary interventions are being withheld. We witness not only the anguish of a family losing a baby but also the added trauma of being denied appropriate medical care.”

Speakers reminded lawmakers that Kentucky voters rejected an abortion ban in the state constitution in 2022, yet extremist politicians continue to ignore the will of the people by maintaining laws that strip women of their medical autonomy.

“To restore abortion access, Kentucky Lawmakers don't need to wait on the results of a case brought by a patient plaintiff,” said Ona Marshall, a leading speaker at the event. “They have the power to immediately restore public health and end the cruel - devastating consequences of the abortion bans”

Medical professionals at the event vowed to continue fighting for reproductive freedom, urging lawmakers to restore evidence-based healthcare policies and protect doctors from prosecution for providing lifesaving medical care.

To view the entire press event, click here.

Kentucky Physicians for Reproductive Freedom, a group of over 460 Kentucky physicians and healthcare providers, is a project of the Kentucky Reproductive Freedom Fund (KYRFF).  To find the open letter and learn more, visit kyrff.com/health-professionals. 

Media Coverage:

Ali Hoge
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