Rights groups file lawsuits challenging abortion laws in three states News
Rights groups file lawsuits challenging abortion laws in three states

Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other women’s groups filed suits Wednesday challenging abortion laws in Alaska [complaint], Missouri and North Carolina [complaints, PDF]. Citing 42 USC § 1983 [text], which provides a means of attaining injunctive relief for constitutional violations, the cases specifically attack a restriction in Alaska banning abortions at outpatient centers, a standard for surgical center abortion clinics in Missouri that closely resembles one struck down by the Supreme Court [JURIST report] in June, and a law in a North Carolina that prevents doctors from performing abortions after the twentieth week of pregnancy.

While the suits do not list a reason for the timing of the filing, the actions come as President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to fight abortion rights [WSJ report], nears inauguration in January. Though federal courts have consistently upheld abortion rights in the recent past, with rulings in Arkansas, Florida and Indiana [JURIST reports], the future of abortion law [JURIST op-ed] may be shaped by the incoming president’s Supreme Court nominee [NYT report]. Reproductive rights organizations worry that a conservative Supreme Court nominee could significantly alter [WP report] abortion rights in America.