East Valley Tribune: Judge to decide on abortion wait period
By: Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services
“Judge David Campbell said he will hear arguments next week from attorneys for the Center for Reproductive Rights that the requirement, part of a more comprehensive law restricting abortion, should be precluded from taking effect until a full-blown trial on the constitutionality of the statute.
Suzanne Novak, who is representing the Tucson Women’s Center, said allowing any delay, for any period of time, will endanger the health of patients. She said there is evidence that some women won’t be able to make a second trip to a clinic, meaning they will be denied their constitutional rights.The waiting period is about more than the delay. The law requires that certain information about the procedure be given ahead of time to women, in person, which means two trips to the clinic.
Novak said some women won’t be able to come back 24 hours later, which means a delay in the procedure, which makes it more risky.
Some women, she said, cannot get time off from work. Novak said others are in ‘abusive relationships,’ making it difficult, if not impossible, for them to get away for a second clinic visit.
And Novak said it’s also unnecessary.
‘The provision assumes that women have not thought about this before they go into their procedure,” she said. “That is really insulting to a lot of women who have made this decision, struggled with this decision, consulted people in their lives.'”
Read the full story on the East Valley Tribune website >,
The case is Tucson Women’s Center v. Arizona Medical Board.
