Appeals court rules Texas can enforce abortion law while case is pending

Jan 12 2012

A federal appeals court has ruled that while a controversial abortion law is decided in court, Texas can enforce a law that requires women who are seeking an abortion to be presented with a sonogram.

Texas Tribune: Judges: Texas Can Enforce Sonogram Law Now
A panel of federal appellate judges has authorized Texas officials to enforce a controversial abortion sonogram law while its constitutionality is being challenged in court. In an opinion, the judges said the measure's opponents "failed to demonstrate constitutional flaws" in the measure, which they said was "fatal" to their effort to prevent it from taking effect (Ramshaw, 1/10).

The Dallas Morning News: Texas Sonogram Law Can Go Forward, Federal Appeals Court Says Related
Texas' law requiring women seeking abortions to undergo a sonogram and be presented the image and a fetal heartbeat doesn't violate constitutional protections and can take effect soon, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. The three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a ban on the law that had been imposed in August by U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks. Other issues and a formal ruling on the case are still pending before Sparks (Hoppe and Ingram, 1/10).

The Wall Street Journal: Appellate Ruling Upholds Texas Abortion Law
Supporters of the law, enacted last year, say it is designed to ensure that women are fully informed about abortions and, ultimately, to discourage them from undergoing the procedure. It requires all women seeking abortions to have a sonogram, also known as an ultrasound scan, but it allows some women-;such as those who certify they are rape victims-;to avoid hearing a description of the fetus or embryo (Koppel, 1/11).

The Associated Press/New York Times: Texas: Court Allows Sonogram Law To Be Enforced
A Texas abortion law passed last year that requires doctors to show sonograms to patients can be enforced while opponents challenge it in court, a federal appeals court said Tuesday in a ruling that signaled the judges believe the law is constitutional (1/11).