Judge Strikes Down Alabama Abortion Law

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson ruled a recent Alabama abortion law is unconstitutional. He struck down the state law mandating that doctors performing abortions have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, saying it provided an undue burden on women. Abortion providers filed a suit against the law, which was passed in 2013. Providers argued the law would force three of the state’s five abortion clinics to shut down. In his 172-page opinion, Thompson wrote that "The evidence compellingly demonstrates that the requirement would have the striking result of closing three of Alabama's five abortion clinics, clinics which perform only early abortions, long before viability." Thompson delayed his ruling to review the decision of a federal appeals court, which struck down a similar Mississippi abortion law last week.