NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s attorney general is asking a federal judge to allow the state’s 48-hour waiting period for abortions to remain in effect while the state appeals a ruling that struck it down as unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Bernard Freidman ruled last month that Tennessee’s waiting period law serves no legitimate purpose while placing a substantial burden on women.
The 2015 law requires women to make two trips to an abortion clinic, first for mandatory counseling and then for the abortion at least 48 hours later.
A motion filed by the state attorney general on Wednesday asks Friedman to let the law remain in force pending an appeal to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
