Supreme Court Allows Arkansas Restrictions on Abortion Drugs
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Planned Parenthood calls limits an undue burden on women; law can be enforced while trial court considers effects.
The Supreme Court declined Tuesday to disturb a ruling that allowed Arkansas for now to impose tighter restrictions on the use of abortion-inducing drugs.
The court’s announcement, in a one-line order, was a blow to abortion-rights advocates who said a 2015 Arkansas law effectively prohibited medication abortions, in which a woman can terminate an early-stage pregnancy by taking pills instead of undergoing a surgical procedure.
The state law says a doctor who prescribes abortion-inducing drugs must contract with a physician who has admitting and surgical privileges at a hospital designated to handle any emergencies. Arkansas in court papers argued that the requirement promoted good medical practices and follow-up treatment.
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