Alabama Law Requiring Trial For Minors Seeking An Abortion Struck Down By Circuit Court
The three-judge panel from U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit agreed with a district court decision that found certain amendments to Alabama’s Parental Consent Act represent “an undue burden” for a “large fraction” of minors seeking abortions without parental consent. The legal challenge was brought by Reproductive Health Services (RHS), the only abortion clinic currently operating in Alabama’s Montgomery County. The amended Alabama law included a provision for minors to legally bypass parental consent, but only after a court hearing that would allow district attorneys and lawyers hired to “represent” embryos and fetuses cross-examine the petitioning minor, as well as potentially launch an appeal of any judge’s decision to grant the bypass....