An Arkansas federal judge blocked three state abortion restrictions that would have gone into effect Wednesday, one of which requires abortion providers to be board-certified gynecologists, which would have closed the state’s last remaining surgical abortion clinics.
Supported by ACLU Arkansas and Planned Parenthood, the Arkansas clinic in question, Little Rock Family Planning Services, challenged three restrictions, on of which is a ban on abortions after 18 weeks of pregnancy. The third provision would prohibit abortions based on diagnoses of Down syndrome. The provisions were signed into law in March by Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
District Court Judge Kristine Baker, an Obama appointee, issued a temporary injunction late Tuesday night concluding that the laws “cause ongoing and imminent irreparable harm” to patients. Baker issued a two-week restraining order to keep the laws from taking effect while arguments play out in the court.
Under current Arkansas law, any licensed physician in Arkansas, regardless of board certification in gynecology, can perform abortions.
