LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas’ only surgical abortion clinic on Monday asked a federal judge to block a state order banning the procedure except to protect the life or health of the mother during the coronavirus pandemic.
Little Rock Family Planning Services filed the motion days after officials said the facility could not perform surgical abortions except to protect the life or health of the mother.
State health officials accused the clinic of violating a order preventing elective surgeries during the outbreak. Other states have used similar orders to restrict or ban abortions.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, which represents the clinic, asked to add the request to an ongoing lawsuit that led to three of the states abortion restrictions being blocked last year.
The state on Monday said the number of coronavirus cases has risen to nearly 1,400. Two more people have died from the virus, bringing the state’s total deaths to 29.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
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