ADF, allies seek to defend right of NC women to see ultrasound prior to abortion
ADF, Jubilee Campaign file motion to intervene in defense of state law being attacked by ACLU, Planned Parenthood
Wednesday, Nov 9, 2011
ADF attorney sound bite: Steven H. Aden
GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Alliance Defense Fund and the Jubilee Campaign’s Law of Life Project filed a motion to intervene in federal court Tuesday to defend a North Carolina ultrasound law against attack by the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood. The law requires abortionists to display to a woman an ultrasound image of her pre-born child prior to an abortion and also to offer the opportunity to hear the baby’s heartbeat.
ADF and allied attorneys represent several medical doctors, post-abortive women, and pregnancy resource centers who wish to intervene in the lawsuit to defend the right of women to be given all of the information they need to make an informed decision regarding her pregnancy.
“Giving women the information they need before such a weighty decision is clearly more important than an abortionist’s bottom line,” said ADF Senior Counsel Steven H. Aden. “Those attacking this law are obviously more concerned about financial gain from abortion than the best interests of women and their preborn children.”
The North Carolina Woman’s Right to Know Act, H.B. 854, was enacted in July after the state’s general assembly overrode Gov. Bev Perdue’s veto of the bill. The law requires “a twenty-four-hour waiting period and the informed consent of a pregnant woman before an abortion may be performed.”
To make sure a woman is fully informed, the law requires an obstetric ultrasound examination and explanation four to 72 hours “before the administration of any anesthesia or medication in preparation for the abortion on the woman.” The woman is not required to look at the displayed images, listen to the baby’s heartbeat, or listen to the doctor’s explanations if she does not wish to.
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina allowed the law to go into effect last month with the exception of the ultrasound and heartbeat provisions, which are on hold while the ACLU and Planned Parenthood lawsuit, Stuart v. Huff, proceeds. Jubilee Campaign’s General Counsel Samuel B. Casey, one of nearly 2,100 attorneys in the ADF alliance, is lead counsel on behalf of the parties seeking to intervene to defend those provisions. ADF attorneys are co-counsel together with local counsel W. Eric Medlin of the Greensboro firm Robertson, Medlin & Bloss, PLCC.
“We trust the court will grant our motion permitting our clients to intervene as parties with full rights,” said Casey. “We will do our part to bring this legal action to a just and expeditious resolution so that this law can finally go into full effect.”
In January, a federal court granted a motion to intervene filed by ADF and Jubilee Campaign attorneys to defend a similar law in Oklahoma.
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
ADF and allied attorneys represent several medical doctors, post-abortive women, and pregnancy resource centers who wish to intervene in the lawsuit to defend the right of women to be given all of the information they need to make an informed decision regarding her pregnancy.
“Giving women the information they need before such a weighty decision is clearly more important than an abortionist’s bottom line,” said ADF Senior Counsel Steven H. Aden. “Those attacking this law are obviously more concerned about financial gain from abortion than the best interests of women and their preborn children.”
The North Carolina Woman’s Right to Know Act, H.B. 854, was enacted in July after the state’s general assembly overrode Gov. Bev Perdue’s veto of the bill. The law requires “a twenty-four-hour waiting period and the informed consent of a pregnant woman before an abortion may be performed.”
To make sure a woman is fully informed, the law requires an obstetric ultrasound examination and explanation four to 72 hours “before the administration of any anesthesia or medication in preparation for the abortion on the woman.” The woman is not required to look at the displayed images, listen to the baby’s heartbeat, or listen to the doctor’s explanations if she does not wish to.
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina allowed the law to go into effect last month with the exception of the ultrasound and heartbeat provisions, which are on hold while the ACLU and Planned Parenthood lawsuit, Stuart v. Huff, proceeds. Jubilee Campaign’s General Counsel Samuel B. Casey, one of nearly 2,100 attorneys in the ADF alliance, is lead counsel on behalf of the parties seeking to intervene to defend those provisions. ADF attorneys are co-counsel together with local counsel W. Eric Medlin of the Greensboro firm Robertson, Medlin & Bloss, PLCC.
“We trust the court will grant our motion permitting our clients to intervene as parties with full rights,” said Casey. “We will do our part to bring this legal action to a just and expeditious resolution so that this law can finally go into full effect.”
In January, a federal court granted a motion to intervene filed by ADF and Jubilee Campaign attorneys to defend a similar law in Oklahoma.
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
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