Associated Press: Judge extends restraining order on abortion law
By Rochelle Hines
“An Oklahoma County judge Friday extended a temporary restraining order that blocks enforcement of a controversial abortion law that is being challenged on grounds that it violates the Oklahoma constitution.
The state attorney general’s office, which is defending the law, argued that delaying enactment could result in harm to individuals, particularly under a portion of the measure that bars women from obtaining abortions based on the gender of the fetus.
‘We would prefer that the law go into effect as soon as possible,’ assistant Attorney General Teresa Collette said.
Jennifer Mondino, an attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is challenging the law, dismissed that argument.
‘It’s a flashy issue,’ Mondino said after the hearing. ‘That is not an issue in this lawsuit.’
The Center for Reproductive Rights and two Oklahoma women sued the state in September, arguing that House Bill 1595 violates the single-subject rule of the Oklahoma constitution, which requires one piece of legislation only deal with one issue. The center successfully challenged another state abortion law last year on the same grounds.”
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