Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin files lawsuit trying to close abortion provider

Kentucky's Republican Governor Matt Bevin has filed a lawsuit asking a judge to close an abortion clinic in Lexington, saying it was operating without a license.

The lawsuit filed in Fayette Circuit Court on Wednesday alleges that the EMW Women's Clinic was unsanitary, maintained expired medication on the site and does not have an adequate agreement to transfer patients to a hospital in case of an emergency, according to court documents.

A call placed to the clinic was not immediately returned.

The Lexington clinic is one of three in Kentucky that provide abortions, according to local media. The Lexington Herald Leader said that the governor's office filed a lawsuit last month against Planned Parenthood, saying it did not have the proper license to perform abortions at its Louisville clinic. Planned Parenthood has responded that it does have the proper licensing under an agreement with the former governor, the Herald Leader reported.

According to this week's lawsuit, filed on behalf of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the state health service, and signed by the governor's general counsel, EMW Women's Clinic does not provide any care other than abortions, and therefore needs a specific type of license that it does not have.

Bevin ran for governor on an anti-abortion platform and in February signed an informed consent law that requires women to consult with a doctor before having an abortion.

(Reporting by Fiona Ortiz; Editing by Andrew Hay)