Fed Judge: TN cannot delay abortions, even by a matter of days, amid covid19

[Tanuki]

https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2020/04/18/tennessee-cant-delay-abortions-amid-covid-19-judge-says/5158283002/

"Tennessee must allow abortions to move forward during the COVID-19 pandemic, a federal judge ruled Friday evening, handing a victory to abortion providers who have fought the state for years.


U.S. District Judge Bernard A. Friedman issued a preliminary injunction that kept the state from stopping surgical abortions. State lawyers quickly moved to appeal, and they asked the judge to delay his decision until a federal appeals court could weigh in.

Gov. Bill Lee had issued an executive order earlier this month that banned "non-emergency" medical procedures through April 30 in an effort to preserve medical equipment needed to fight the coronavirus.

......"Abortion is a time-sensitive procedure," Friedman wrote. "Delaying a woman’s access to abortion even by a matter of days can result in her having to undergo a lengthier and more complex procedure that involves progressively greater health risks, or can result in her losing the right to obtain an abortion altogether."...(more at link)