Wisconsin Tries to Follow Texas in Reviving an Abortion Law
By Andrew Harris - Dec 3, 2013
One month after Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott won a U.S. appeals court ruling overriding a decision to block abortion restrictions in his state, Wisconsin’s top lawyer is aiming for a similar result.
Both states have laws requiring doctors who perform abortions to obtain admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles (48 kilometers) of their clinic. Advocates argue the provision protects women’s health. Opponents say it’s medically unnecessary and would force facilities to close, burdening a woman’s constitutional right to have an abortion.
The office of Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, a Republican, today will ask an appellate panel to overturn U.S. District Judge William M. Conley’s Aug. 2 decision blocking that state’s law pending a trial on the merits of a challenge by Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.
“Act 37 does not create an undue burden on abortion-seeking women,” Van Hollen said, referencing the 2013 law by its legislative name in Sept. 16 filing with U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago. “Although Act 37 may result in the closure of one or two clinics in Wisconsin, it will not have the effect of depriving a significant number of women in Wisconsin of their choice to have an abortion.”
Legal battles over almost identical 30-mile rules are under way in at least three other states.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-03/wisconsin-tries-to-follow-texas-in-reviving-an-abortion-law.html
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