Supreme Court won't hear Arizona's abortion law appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will not listen to Arizona's appeal over the state's abortion bill being declared unconstitutional.

The law limiting abortion in the state of Arizona, which was seen as fairly restrictive, was struck down by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this past May, reports Reuters. The court at the time said that the new law went against :unalterably clear" legal precedents and that it was unconstitutional.

As the country's highest court declined to hear the case, it means that the previous ruling will remain in place.

The law banned abortions after 20 weeks after a woman's last period and any doctor who conducted an abortion after that could go to jail. The only exception to the ban was in the case of a medical emergency. According to The New York Times, the law's sponsors have alleged that at week 20, fetuses can start to feel pain.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's spokesman Andrew Wilder said that the Supreme Court's decision not to hear the case was "wrong, and is a clear infringement on the authority of states to implement critical life-affirming laws."

Reuters notes that Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, welcomed the court's decision to not hear the case. "Today, the court did the right thing, but women's health is still on the docket - not only at the Supreme Court, but in active cases all across the country."

image: Wikimedia Commons

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