Federal Judge Throws Out North Carolina's 20-Week Abortion Ban

A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that a North Carolina law banning abortions after 20 weeks is unconstitutional, according to Reuters. The law has been in place since 1973, and only allowed abortions after 20 weeks in the case of a medical emergency. U.S. District Judge William Osteen ruled that bans on “week- or event-specific” abortions are unconstitutional, a broad rebuke not just of North Carolina’s law, but many abortion laws across the country. The order will take effect in 60 days. It’s likely that the state will appeal or propose new legislation in that time. In his decision, Osteen wrote that “a state is never allowed to prohibit any swath of pre-viability abortions outright, no matter how strenuously it may believe that such a ban is in the best interests of its citizens or how minimal it may find the burden to women seeking an abortion.” This is a pretty progressive statement coming from a federal judge. Even many Democrats have often framed abortions as “acceptable” only if they are a last resort. Osteen’s decision, on the other hand, posits that women should be able to have an abortion for any reason, as long as it’s before a fetus… Read full this story

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