Comment on decision upholding AZ law against abortions after 20 weeks

Attorney sound bite:  Steven H. Aden

The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Steven H. Aden regarding a federal court’s refusal Monday to halt Arizona H.B. 2036, which prohibits abortion after 20 weeks except in cases of medical emergency and goes into effect Thursday:

“Every innocent life deserves to be protected. That certainly includes the most vulnerable of all: children in the womb who experience horrific pain when being torn apart in the womb during a late-term abortion like those this law prohibits. This law also protects mothers from dangerous late-term abortions and their tremendous psychological consequences. The ACLU and the Center for Reproductive Rights, who filed this lawsuit, apparently don’t care about any of that, preferring to pursue their own agenda. The court was right to thwart their attempts to stop this law.” (audio)

Quote from the court’s order (Isaacson v. Horne):

“Given the nature of D&Es and induction abortions…, and the finding that the unborn child has developed pain sensors all over its body by 20 weeks gestational age, this Court concludes that the State has shown a legitimate interest in limiting abortions past 20 weeks gestational age. Further, in promulgating H.B. 2036, Arizona expressed concerns for the health of the pregnant woman, finding that the instance of complications is highest after twenty weeks of gestation. This additional legitimate interest further supports H.B. 2036’s regulation on abortions after 20 weeks gestational age…. Based on the foregoing, the Court finds that Plaintiffs cannot succeed on the merits of their claim that H.B. 2036 is unconstitutional….”

Alliance Defending Freedom (formerly Alliance Defense Fund) is an alliance-building legal ministry that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.