By an overwhelming margin, the Kentucky legislature has overridden Democratic governor Andy Beshear’s veto of a new pro-life law, with a 76–21 vote in the House and a 31–6 vote in the Senate.

The law prohibits most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and requires women to visit a physician in person before obtaining chemical-abortion drugs. Chemical abortions account for about half of all abortions in Kentucky, similar to the national rate.

Kentucky’s prohibition on abortion after 15 weeks mirrors the Mississippi pro-life law at stake in the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which the Court will decide this term. If the Court upholds Mississippi’s law — which would be possible only if the justices vote to reverse Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey — then 15-week abortion bans across the country, including this one in Kentucky, will be permitted to take effect.

Until then, these sorts of laws stand little chance in court. Abortion providers and advocacy groups have already vowed to challenge Kentucky’s new policy, and they are likely to succeed in having it blocked.

The portion of Kentucky’s law regulating chemical abortion ought to remain in place regardless of challenge, as it doesn’t restrict abortion but rather prohibits prescribing abortion drugs via telemedicine. This policy stems from concern for the possible complications for women’s health, including in cases when a woman unknowingly has an ectopic pregnancy or is further along in pregnancy that she realizes, both of which could be determined by an in-person doctor’s visit but not via telemedicine.