Federal Court Strikes Down Arkansas Abortion Ban

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A federal court today struck down an Arkansas law that would ban abortion care starting at 12 weeks of pregnancy. The law was challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Arkansas, and the Center for Reproductive Rights.

The law was passed in March 2013, when the Arkansas legislature overrode Gov. Mike Beebe’s veto. The ban was set to take effect on August 16, 2013, but was preliminarily enjoined by the court.

“This ban would have inserted politicians into the deeply personal medical decisions of Arkansas women,” said Rita Sklar, executive director of the ACLU of Arkansas. “We’re thankful that the court took the right step in striking it down, since this dangerous ban should never have been passed in the first place.”

The ruling let stand a requirement that women undergo an abdominal ultrasound, with the result that women who undergo a vaginal ultrasound will have to have two such procedures.

“This was one of the most extreme laws passed in 2013 by lawmakers dead-set on taking away a women’s ability to make the best medical decision for herself and her family,” said Talcott Camp, deputy director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. “We must ensure that this personal medical decision remains where it belongs: not with politicians, but with a woman, her family, and her doctor.”