LOUISVILLE — A Lexington abortion clinic has announced it will close at the end of January, leaving only a Louisville facility which performs abortions in Kentucky.

The decision by EMW Women’s Clinic in Lexington to shut down was announced by the Kentucky chapter of the National Organization for Women on its Facebook page, according to Associated Press.

The Lexington clinic had tried for months to obtain a state license, and then the clinic’s landlord declined to renew the lease on its property, which the facility had occupied since 1989, clinic officials said. The clinic has been closed since mid-2016 because of the licensing fight, AP reported.

“For the past 6� months we have diligently pursued obtaining a license to operate an abortion facility,” clinic officials said. “Although we and our attorney believed we had fulfilled all the requirements to obtain the license, the Inspector General of Kentucky disagreed and denied us the license.”

The Lexington clinic lost two legal battles last year, AP reported. Last June, the state Court of Appeals overturned a lower court decision that allowed the clinic to stay open after a legal challenge by Gov. Matt Bevin’s administration. Two months later, the Kentucky Supreme Court turned down the clinic’s appeal.

Bevin’s administration contended the clinic performed abortions without a state license. The clinic’s owner countered that he was exempt because the clinic was a private physician’s office. (WR)