A federal appeals court in Chicago on Tuesday upheld state laws in Wisconsin and Illinois that ban late-term abortions. The 5-4 ruling conflicts directly with a decision made last month by another federal appeals court that overturned similar laws in three other states.
Yesterday’s ruling stated that the Illinois and Wisconsin laws are constitutional, but the court temporarily suspended enforcement of the laws until lower courts can determine whether enforcing the laws would restrict other abortion procedures that are protected by previous Supreme Court decisions.
Center for Reproductive Law and Policy President Janet Benshoof said the Chicago decision, made by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, specifically contradicts previous Supreme Court decisions by disregarding a woman’s health, a doctor’s practice and the Constitution.
“If the Supreme Court adopts [the 7th Circuit] majority opinion, it’s the death knell for Roe v. Wade,” she said.
