Judge Keeps Alabama Abortion Clinics Open

Ruled that Alabama's law imposed an undue burden on a woman's ability to choose to have an abortion by making it unnecessarily difficult to obtain the procedure.

A U.S. judge on Monday ruled unconstitutional an Alabama law that threatened to close three of the state's five abortion clinics while a hearing opened in Texas with an abortion rights group trying to overturn restrictions imposed in that state.

A number of abortion clinics have closed in recent months due to laws passed in 11 U.S. states requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. Supporters say the measure protects women's health while opponents say it is an unnecessary regulation designed to force clinics to shut down.