By Dave Andrusko
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson
With the agreement of both parties, last week U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson extended the Temporary Restraining Order he issued in June blocking a section of Alabama’s pro-life HB 57. The TRO, scheduled to expire in August, was extended to March 2014.
The provision at issue is that the commonsense requirement that abortionists have admitting privileges in a local hospital, in case there are complications. The plaintiffs are three of the state’s five abortion clinics. (The other two abortion clinics–in Huntsville and Tuscaloosa—use abortionists with admitting privileges to local hospitals.)
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“Proponents of the law, called the ‘Women’s Health and Safety Act,’ say the requirement is important for continuity of care and that clinics should not be allowed to use traveling, out of state doctors who aren’t available for follow-up care,” wrote reporter Mike Cason. The abortion clinics say the requirement is unnecessary and would cause them to close down.
In a joint filing the plaintiffs and the state which is defending the law said they saw no prospect for a settlement.
“The document says the extended order was a result of an agreement to consolidate the plaintiffs’ motions for a preliminary and permanent injunction on the provision,” the Montgomery Advertiser reported.
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