Appellate Court Continues Injunction Blocking Alabama’s Attempts to Ban Abortion
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals today denied the state of Alabama’s request to stay a preliminary injunction the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Alabama secured earlier this month on behalf of Dr. Yashica Robinson and three independent abortion clinics. This decision ensures that the preliminary injunction will remain in effect throughout the appeal and abortion care will continue to be available.
“Today, the court refused to allow Alabama to use the COVID-19 crisis as a pretext to prevent patients from accessing abortion care,” said Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, senior staff attorney at the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. “This is a critical victory that recognizes that government response to the pandemic must be grounded in public health, not politics.”
“This ruling ensures that everyone in Alabama can continue to make the decision about whether to have an abortion for themselves,” said Randall Marshall, executive director of the ACLU of Alabama. “We will keep fighting to hold our politicians accountable to protecting the needs of our communities, rather than using the pandemic to further an anti-abortion agenda.”
Today’s ruling comes in a lawsuit filed on behalf of Dr. Yashica Robinson and three independent abortion clinics: the Alabama Women’s Center, Reproductive Health Services, and West Alabama Women’s Center by the ACLU and the ACLU of Alabama.
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