Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. Moore
Description: Planned Parenthood and abortion activists are challenging five North Carolina laws that help protect unborn lives and ensure that women undergo serious procedures only when they are well aware of the risks and alternatives under the care of a licensed physician treating the patient in person.
Pro-life win in NC: Five state laws protecting mothers, unborn remain in effect
RALEIGH, N.C. – In a victory for mothers and unborn children in North Carolina, Planned Parenthood and abortion activists dropped their legal challenge against five state laws protecting women who may be seeking an abortion. Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing the North Carolina Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate asked the court to dismiss the case, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. Moore, last week.
North Carolina-based abortion providers and a national pro-abortion advocacy group were challenging the state’s prohibition on telemedicine abortions, a 72-hour informed-consent period, facility safety codes, the requirement that facilities provide patients with informed-consent information, and a law ensuring that an abortion only be performed by a licensed physician. Now, after they filed a voluntary dismissal of the lawsuit Thursday, all five laws can remain in effect, helping ensure that women undergo serious procedures only when they are well aware of the risks and alternatives under the care of a licensed physician treating the patient in person.
“Every woman deserves to have all the information she needs to make the healthiest choice for everyone involved in an unexpected pregnancy,” said ADF Senior Counsel Denise Harle, director of the ADF Center for Life. “Tragically, many women turn to abortion as a last resort, unaware of the resources available to them or the harms of abortion. No one benefits more from this situation than abortionists and their facilities. We’re pleased to have favorably closed this case on behalf of the legislators we represent, and to see these life-saving state laws that empower women remain in effect.”
- Pronunciation guide: Harle (HAR’-lee)
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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ABOUT Denise Harle
Denise Harle serves as senior counsel on the Center for Life Team at Alliance Defending Freedom. Prior to joining ADF, Harle served as deputy solicitor general in the Office of the Florida Attorney General, where she drafted appellate briefs and presented oral arguments on behalf of the state in a wide variety of constitutional cases, including defending the constitutionality of pro-life laws. In 2017, she participated in the prestigious Supreme Court Fellow program, sponsored by the National Association of Attorneys General. She clerked for Justice Ricky L. Polston on the Florida Supreme Court and worked for several years as an appellate litigator at a large firm in California. Harle earned bachelor’s degrees, summa cum laude, in psychology and interdisciplinary social science from Florida State University, a master’s degree in political science from Stanford University, and a Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law. At Duke, she served as the executive editor of Law & Contemporary Problems. A member of the state bars of California, Florida, and Georgia, she is admitted to multiple federal district and appellate courts, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court.