Today the federal Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals announced it will not reconsider a pro-life ruling issued last July.
In 2015 the Arkansas Legislature passed the Abortion-Inducing Drugs Safety Act sponsored by Rep. Charlene Fite (R – Van Buren). The law requires clinics performing chemical abortions to maintain a contract with a doctor who has admitting privileges at a hospital. A federal judge blocked the law last year.
In July a three-judge panel from the Eighth Circuit of Appeals reversed that judge’s order. The panel’s decision was appealed to the entire Eighth Circuit. Today the Eighth Circuit announced it would not reconsider the case, meaning the panel’s decision from July still stands.
This is a pro-life victory. The Abortion-Inducing Drugs Safety Act is a good law that ought to be enforced. The Arkansas Legislature passed it with strong support, and Attorney General Rutledge’s office has defended it in court since Day One. We look forward to other good decisions like this one in the future.
Photo Credit: By Brian Turner (Flickr: My Trusty Gavel) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
