State health director urges judge to throw out challenge to new abortion law (Arizona)

azcapitoltimes.com ^ | July 1, 2015 | Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

[Morgana]

State Health Director Cara Christ wants a federal judge to throw out a challenge to a controversial new abortion law because no doctor has yet been disciplined for breaking it.

In legal filings in federal court, attorney Douglas Drury who represents Christ tells Judge Steven Logan that he should dismiss the lawsuit filed on behalf of abortion providers and doctors because the case is not “ripe” for consideration.

“Plaintiffs and their patients have not suffered any injury in fact,” Drury wrote.

That same argument is being made by the Attorney General’s Office representing the Arizona Medical Board, the agency that could revoke a doctor’s medical privileges for ignoring the statute.

Hanging in the balance is a law which requires doctors to inform women who want to terminate a pregnancy that “it may be possible to reverse the effects of a medication abortion if the woman changes her mind but that time is of the essence.” The same law says women must be told that information on reversing a medication abortion is available on the Arizona Department of Health Services web site.

Challengers filed suit last month saying there is “no credible evidence” to support the statement.