The state Department of Justice requested the U.S. Supreme Court reinstate a law requiring abortion providers to be available at hospitals within 30 miles of patients Wednesday, according to the Sheboygan Press.
According to the article, supporters say the law would ensure patients could more easily get care if they experience complications after the abortion, while opponents say conservative hospitals will not grant providers this access, ultimately limiting abortions.
Gov. Scott Walker signed the bill into law July 5, requiring local hospital care availability and ultrasounds in order to get an abortion, according to the Los Angeles Times. Planned Parenthood and Affiliated Medical Services filed a federal lawsuit in Madison the same day.
U.S. District Judge Michael Conley issued a preliminary injunction and set a trial for May. The DOJ, led by Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, asked the seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to lift the injunction in December, but the request was denied.
The DOJ has now filed a petition with the Supreme Court to take the case and declare abortion providers cannot represent patients.
Planned Parenthood Attorney Lester Pines said in the article the request is “not really something that has a serious chance of being accepted.”
Van Hollen also filed for the Supreme Court to uphold Act 37, or Sonya’s Law, which requires patients to get an ultrasound, according to a Wisconsin Right to Life release. WRTL Legislative Director Heather Weininger said the group is encouraged by the motion.
“The safety of every woman is at stake,” Weininger said in the release. “Each day physicians who are performing abortions and do not have admitting privileges to a nearby hospital are putting women in danger.”
