A Judge Just Handed Abortion Supporters a Huge Win in the Deep South
At last, some good news in abortion rights. Last week, a federal judge in Alabama blocked a regulation that might have closed the state’s largest abortion clinic for good.
The West Alabama Women’s Center in Tuscaloosa closed back in January after the clinic’s previous physician retired. The clinic’s new doctor was unable to gain admitting privileges at a local hospital or establish a contract with another doctor who had those privileges, putting the clinic in violation of state requirements. Proponents of the regulation said it was needed to protect women’s safety should complications arise when ending a pregnancy, while abortion rights advocates argued that it was an attempt to shutter clinics that rely on providers who live out of the state. Major medical organizations have generally opposed such laws as medically unnecessary.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on the clinic’s behalf challenging the requirement, and on August 13, US District Judge Myron Thompson issued a temporary restraining order putting the clinic back in business. Thompson said the closure of the clinic put an “undue burden” on women who were forced to travel longer distances to obtain abortions.
More: A Judge Just Handed Abortion Supporters a Huge Win in the Deep South