Challenged provisions of a 2009 law restricting abortions in Arizona
took effect today because Planned Parenthood Arizona decided against
appealing a state-court ruling denying its earlier challenge to the law.
As a result, the new provisions begin today.
They include:
- Requiring a woman seeking an abortion to meet in person with a doctor 24 hours before the scheduled abortion.
- Allowing only physicians to perform first-trimester surgical abortions.
- Requiring that parental consent for minors seeking an abortion be notarized.
- Allowing health-care workers, including pharmacists, to decline to
provide information or access to abortion, emergency contraception or
birth control based on their personal beliefs.
Citing a shortage of physicians and other factors, Planned Parenthood
said it has already scaled back its abortion services in response to the
new restrictions.
Source: The Arizona Republic