Lawmakers Pass Pro-Life Laws, Judges Block

Alabama lawmakers raised the standard of care in abortion clinics by requiring abortionists to have admitting privileges to nearby hospitals, which would have closed several clinics. In August 2014, a federal judge struck it down as unconstitutional.

Those same lawmakers tried to defund Planned Parenthood. Timely, in light of the Center for Medical Progress’s undercover sting of the abortion mill’s fetal harvesting. But a federal judge recently blocked this attempt. An excerpt from Reuters: 

The judge wrote that Alabama had not provided a reason for terminating its agreement with the Planned Parenthood affiliate serving the region, as required under federal law.

“This is an absolute victory. The state of Alabama cannot impermissibly target abortion providers for unfair treatment,” said Susan Watson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama, which joined Planned Parenthood in suing the state.

The office of Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, a Republican who was named in the lawsuit, did not immediately comment.

In similar news, the Oklahoma Supreme Court temporarily blocked a pro-life law that would have gone into effect on November 1. Among the requirements: parents would have to consent to abortions for minors, and abortion clinics would have to preserve tissue samples of unborn babies if the patient is younger than 14 in case there’s an accusation of statutory rape.

A spokesperson for Oklahoma governor Mary Fallin criticized the decision, telling LifeSiteNews that “the majority of Oklahomans are pro-life, and they continue to elect officials who are actively involved in expanding protections for the unborn.”