Last May the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals declared an Arizona law banning non-emergency abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy unconstitutional.
The court stated the law violates legal precedent barring the state from prohibiting abortion prior to viability. Many constitutional law experts do not believe the issue is as cut-and-dry as the Ninth Circuit made it out to be, and the ruling has now been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
According to Alliance Defending Freedom:
“Every innocent life deserves to be protected. Not only does this law protect children in the womb who experience horrific pain during a late-term abortion, it also protects mothers from the dangers and tremendous psychological consequences of late-term abortions,” said Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Steven H. Aden. “Arizona’s law is entirely reasonable and constitutional, and we hope the Supreme Court takes this invitation to revisit the extreme constraints Roe v. Wade imposed on state safeguards for women’s health.”
Arkansas passed a similar law earlier this year preventing most abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy. If the Supreme Court hears the Arizona case, its ruling could have implications for Arkansas.
