Arizona Abortion Ban Blocked

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals put a hold on Arizona's controversial ban on late-term abortions

PHOENIX – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit today blocked the most extreme abortion ban in the country.

The Arizona law, which was upheld last week by a district court, was challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Arizona and the Center for Reproductive Rights on behalf of three physicians and their patients.

The law criminalizes virtually all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and contains only narrow exceptions for medical emergencies. The ban would have forced a physician caring for a woman with a high-risk pregnancy to wait until her condition poses an immediate threat of death or major medical damage before offering her the care she needs. The ban also contains no exceptions for a woman who is told her fetus will not survive after birth.