Court lifts ruling, allows abortion restrictions

Starting on Aug. 28, the state of Arkansas can enforce four laws to protect unborn babies that a federal judge blocked in 2017. On Friday, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a lower court’s injunction, citing a recent U.S. Supreme Court case. The high court’s ruling in June Medical Services v. Russo struck down a Louisiana abortion law. In a concurring opinion in that case, Chief Justice John Roberts said state legislatures should have wide discretion for setting their states’ policy.

What do the Arkansas laws do? They protect babies from a procedure called dilatation and evacuation, or dismemberment abortion, which the state calls barbaric. They also require abortionists to notify police when a girl younger than 17 gets an abortion, an increase from the previous cutoff of 14. And the new guidelines protect babies from sex-selective abortions and ensure the remains of aborted babies are handled with respect.

Dig deeper: Read Leah Hickman’s article about the Mexican Supreme Court’s recent decision about abortion.