Federal court rejects Mississippi law targeting state's only open abortion clinic

Jul 31 2014

A federal appeals court blocked a Mississippi law from taking effect that would have caused the state's only abortion clinic to close because it would impose "an undue burden" on women.

The Wall Street Journal: Federal Court Blocks Mississippi Law Threatening Abortion Clinic
A federal appeals court on Tuesday blocked a Mississippi abortion law from taking effect, a ruling that appears to conflict with a decision earlier this year by the same court. Combined with other legal challenges of similar state laws, the move could set the stage for the Supreme Court to revisit the issue of abortion rights, legal experts said (McWhirter, 7/29).

NPR: Court Rejects Law Threatening Mississippi's Last Abortion Clinic
A federal appeals court has rejected a Mississippi law that would have forced the state's only abortion clinic to close. In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday turned aside arguments that women seeking to have an abortion could have the procedure done in a neighboring state (Greenblatt, 7/29).

Politico: Ruling Keeps Mississippi's Only Abortion Clinic Open
Mississippi's only remaining abortion clinic will stay open following a federal appeals court ruling Tuesday against a state law that requires abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. After doctors at the Jackson Women's Health Organization sought and were denied admitting privileges at seven area hospitals, the state notified the clinic that its license would be revoked. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that by forcing the facility to be closed, the law would impose an "undue burden" on a woman's right to seek an abortion in Mississippi (Winfield Cunningham, 7/29).

The New York Times: Judges Block Abortion Curb In Mississippi
By a 2-to-1 vote, the panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that by imposing a law that would effectively end abortion in the state, Mississippi would illegally shift its constitutional obligations to neighboring states. The ruling is the latest at a time when states, particularly in the South, are increasingly setting new restrictions that supporters say address safety issues and that critics say are intended to shut clinics (Robertson and Eckholm, 7/29).

The Associated Press: U.S. Appeals Panel Strikes Down Mississippi Anti-Abortion Law
A U.S. appeals court panel ruled Tuesday that a Mississippi law that would close the state's only abortion clinic is unconstitutional. The case is the latest in the decades-long struggle by some social conservatives to chip away at a woman's constitutional right to have an abortion. The issue remains one of the country's most sensitive, politically and otherwise, with various challenges in a number of states (Wagster Pettus, 7/30).