Posted on 04/20/2020 12:30:18 PM PDT by Morgana
A federal judge handed abortion rights supporters a win in Tennessee Friday by blocking a statewide order banning surgical abortions during the coronavirus pandemic.
U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman, a President Reagan appointee, said in an opinion released Friday evening that abortion is a time-sensitive procedure, CNN reported. The ruling will allow procedural abortions to continue during the pandemic for now.
"Delaying a woman's access to abortion even by a matter of days can result in her having to undergo a lengthier and more complex procedure that involves progressively greater health risks, or can result in her losing the right to obtain an abortion altogether," he wrote.
Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III (R), Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) and other officials filed a motion of appeal on Friday, the attorney general's spokeswoman Samantha Fisher told The Hill.
The governor issued an executive order banning non-emergency health care procedures, including abortions, until April 30 to reduce the spread of the coronavirus and preserve personal protective equipment (PPE). Violations could have resulted in a Class A misdemeanor and potential disciplinary action from the associated medical boards.
Abortion rights groups and reproductive health care providers filed a lawsuit in response, saying the move was politically motivated.
State officials said the procedures would lead to the “unnecessary use” of PPE “that are in extremely short supply, especially N95 masks,” CNN reported court documents said.
Friedman ruled that the government did not show “any appreciable amount” of PPE would be saved by prohibiting abortion procedures.
The plaintiffs, including Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi and the Knoxville Center for Reproductive Health, argued they have made efforts to reduce the use of PPE and to avoid using N95 masks. The judge ruled the plaintiffs showed an abortion used less PPE and less patient interaction than giving birth.
"The court's decision today ensures that women in Tennessee can continue to make their own decisions about pregnancy and parenting based on what is best for their families," Hedy Weinberg, the executive director of the ACLU of Tennessee, said in a statement obtained by CNN.
Other Republican governors have issued similar orders in their states, like in Texas, Ohio and Alabama, saying procedural abortions need to be postponed or canceled, which have also been challenged by lawsuits.
So even though my esophagus is on fire and i have Barrett’s, killing a baby is more important than my endoscopy.
Gotcha
Check please...
Whatever happened to adoption?
It begins with the falsehood that there is a right to abort.
I tried to fix it. I'll leave the rest of the article to someone else to edit.
So you cannot get a biopsy to see if you have cancer but you can buy pot and kill your baby on the way home. The father of lies is on a roll.
True, unfortunately.
He has the media, the Judges, and most of the youth.
Yeah judge,killing a human being certainly ends one's time.
By this “logic” it’s time to sue for all other outpatient services to resume. Nearly every one falls in to this line of reasoning including dental.
Reagan left the Presidency 31 years ago. I don’t care if this was an an appointment to satisfy Tennessee’s notoriously RINO Senators or if this judge “grew” in office. He has been on the bench too long.
"Killin' babies is Okey-Doke", sez old Lefty gasbag.
"Michigan's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional", sez old Lefty gasbag Bernard Friedman [March 2014].
He's 77 - in the "at-risk" category. I'm just sayin'.
Not sure if he just got assigned this case, or that the abortionists "judge-shopped" - because Ol' Lefty here is ALL THAT.
In my post #11, I noted that "Bernie Bros" ruled against Michigan's ban on fag "marriage".
On August 22, 2015, Judge Friedman presided over the wedding of the plaintiffs who he had originally ruled in favor of, after the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled two months earlier that all state bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional.
And there is NO Lefty cause he's not willing to go to the mats for.
Here we have ol' gasbag going to the wall in defense of Musloid female genital mutilation:
On November 20, 2018, he ruled that the Federal law against female genital mutilation (FGM) is unconstitutional because the law overreaches the Federal government's enumerated powers as defined by the "Necessary and proper" clause and the "Interstate commerce" clause.
This guy would give Bill Ayers a run for his money in CommieThink.
Be a shame if the lock-down failed for him...
Similar ruling in the 5th Circuit, case is captioned “Abbott” That one made it from district court and decided at the Circuit Court appellate level really fast.
Abortion is a constitutional right.
Going to church is not, has to give way to public health.
Of course. DEMON butchery of children is ALWAYS the highest priority to DEMONRAT Federal judges. No wonder God’s wrath is on this country. We DESERVE IT for letting this happen.
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