Court Upholds Arizona Ban on Late-Term Abortions

[WSJ Law Blog]

A federal judge on Monday refused to block an Arizona law that prohibits most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, saying it didn't impose a "substantial obstacle" to the procedure, Reuters reported. The statute is due to go into effect on Thursday.



The law criminalizes nearly all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy with a very narrow exception for medical emergencies, and forces a doctor with a high-risk pregnancy patient to wait until her condition imposes an immediate threat of death or major medical damage before offering the procedure. Late-term abortions in other locations generally allow the procedure when the mother’s life or health would be in jeopardy, Reuters noted.

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