By Hayley Smith, Advocacy and Policy Associate, ACLU at 2:17pm
Today we filed litigation challenging a new law in Arkansas that bans abortion starting at 12 weeks – a law that is a clear violation of state legislators' duties to preserve, protect and defend the state and federal constitutions. Our lawsuit asks the court to block this blatantly unconstitutional ban, which violates numerous Supreme Court decisions dating back 40 years. A stubborn group of legislators insisted on rushing the bill through the legislature, refusing to listen to admonitions by doctors and even the Governor himself.
By Hayley Smith, Advocacy and Policy Associate, ACLU at 5:14pm
Phew. Pregnant women can now breathe a little easier. Yesterday, a Florida appeals court held (PDF) that a lower court was wrong to order a woman confined to her hospital bed, against her will, for up to four months, because she disagreed with her doctor's recommended course of treatment for pregnancy complications.
