Federal judge blocks Arkansas' near-total abortion ban
CNN
US District Judge Kristine G. Baker on Tuesday temporarily blocked an Arkansas ban on nearly all abortions from going into effect while a lawsuit against the measure proceeds, an early victory for abortion rights supporters as many of the restrictions that advanced in states this spring are expected to make their way to the courts.
The new Arkansas law would ban providers from performing abortions "except to save the life of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency" and makes no exceptions for instances of rape, incest or fetal anomalies. Those found to violate the law could face fines of up to $100,000 and up to 10 years in prison. Republican Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed the bill into law in March and has been blunt about its goal of overhauling abortion rights. He told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union" later that month, "I signed it because it is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade," the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized the procedure nationally.More Related News
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