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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