Frankfort, KY — A Kentucky law requiring doctors to perform ultrasounds and show fetal images to patients prior to abortions is constitutional, a divided federal appeals court declared Thursday. The ruling by a panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was a victory for Kentucky’s Republican Gov. Matt Bevin, a staunch abortion opponent. The 2017 law was enacted soon after the GOP took complete control of Kentucky’s legislature. The statute drew an immediate challenge from the state’s last remaining abortion clinic, and a lower court judge struck it down. The 2-1 ruling Thursday reversed the lower court. The appeals court panel’s majority opinion said the law doesn’t violate a doctor’s First Amendment rights. Bevin’s office called it “a major pro-life legal victory” and said it was a historic day. A senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union’s Reproductive Freedom Project, called the ruling “not only extremely disappointing but also alarming.” Kentucky’s law, known as House Bill 2, requires doctors to describe the ultrasound in detail while the pregnant woman listens to the fetal heartbeat. Women can avert their eyes and ask to have the sound of the heartbeat turned off. Doctors failing to comply face fines and can be referred to the state’s medical-licensing board.