The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) plans to cut nearly $500 million in grants from Kentucky and Indiana’s state health departments, as announced on March 23, 2025. These cuts, totaling $481 million, encompass numerous federal grants, impacting programs such as food distribution to underserved communities and crucial health services. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has denounced the cuts as unlawful, citing concerns about clinic closures and impacts on public health initiatives like the response to avian flu. The cuts follow broader federal Department of Health and Human Services reductions and raise concerns about the accuracy of DOGE’s reported savings.
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Governor Beshear vetoed a Republican-backed bill intended to clarify Kentucky’s abortion ban, citing concerns that it would endanger women’s lives by hindering doctors’ judgment in emergency situations. The bill, while aiming to provide guidelines for life-threatening pregnancies, lacked comprehensive language covering all potential medical emergencies and substituted the term “reasonable medical judgment” for established medical terminology. Supporters argued the bill would protect both mother and child by offering legal clarity, while opponents contended it would create unnecessary barriers to care. The legislature will attempt to override the veto.
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Kentucky’s Department of Public Health confirmed a new measles case, linked to international travel. Exposure may have occurred at a Frankfort Planet Fitness on February 17th between 9 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. The highly contagious virus, preventable via the MMR vaccine, presents symptoms including fever, cough, and rash. Individuals experiencing symptoms after potential exposure should contact their healthcare provider before visiting.
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A pregnant woman in Kentucky, identified as Mary Poe, has filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the state’s near-total abortion ban, arguing it violates her constitutional rights to privacy and self-determination. The lawsuit, filed in Jefferson County Circuit Court, aims to strike down both the trigger law, which bans abortions except to save the patient’s life, and a separate six-week ban. Poe, who is seven weeks pregnant, claims she is unable to access abortion care in Kentucky and has been forced to arrange for out-of-state services, highlighting the substantial burden placed on women seeking abortion care. This legal challenge, brought by the ACLU, seeks class-action status to represent others facing similar circumstances, adding to the ongoing fight for abortion rights in Kentucky.
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John Q. Hosedrinker