Kentucky’s lone abortion clinic to be demolished; Pro-life center in Delaware faces legal battle

The only remaining abortion clinic in Kentucky will soon be demolished, while a pro-life pregnancy center in Delaware battles over free speech.

The Kentucky abortion clinic closed in 2022 when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the state outlawed elective abortion. Since then, a New York commercial real estate firm purchased the building, located in Louisville, and plans to turn the space into a parking lot.

R. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, celebrated the development, saying the pro-life movement’s hard work made it happen.

“Christians in Louisville worked, marched, counseled, and prayed for this day,” he posted on X. “Thanks be to God.”

Addia Wuchner, Kentucky Right to Life’s executive director, expressed a similar sentiment when the clinic shut down three years ago.

“For years, Kentucky Right to Life and our members, faithful pro-life advocates and prayer warriors have stormed Heaven for those who had no voice,” Wuchner told Decision Magazine at the time. “They waited, trusted, and advocated that one day they would see the day that God would shut EMW down. Well, that day has come!” 

In 2021, Louisville’s metro council put a 10-foot buffer zone around the clinic, but a federal appeals court halted the order. 

In Delaware, A Door of Hope pro-life pregnancy center filed a federal lawsuit last week against state Attorney General Kathy Jennings, challenging a law forcing pro-life pregnancy centers to post disclaimers that their facilities lack licensed medical providers. 

Senate Bill 300, signed into law last year, will take effect March 26. Attorneys for the center say the law violates its right to freedom of speech. 

“Delaware’s law is unconstitutional, pure and simple. It is a classic example of the government compelling speech to punish those who hold differing viewpoints,” said a press release published by Alliance Defending Freedom. “The pro-life pregnancy centers we represent in this case are a force for good in Wilmington and the surrounding community, offering families true, life-affirming care and resources during unplanned or unsupported pregnancies.” 

ADF cites the 2018 Supreme Court case NIFLA v. Becerra in its argument. In that case, the court ruled that compelled statements in advertising constituted compelled speech and were, therefore, unconstitutional. 

The case is pending before a U.S. District Court in Delaware, and it is not clear whether the court will rule before the law takes effect.