Nebraska attorney general won’t defend law requiring health screenings before abortion

Neb. AG won’t defend law on abortion screenings

OMAHA, Neb. — Nebraska’s attorney general will not defend a new state law requiring health screenings for women seeking abortions, effectively preventing the law from taking effect, his spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Attorney General Jon Bruning will agree to a permanent federal injunction against enforcement of the law, which faces a challenge from Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, said spokeswoman Shannon Kingery.

“We will not squander the state’s resources on a case that has very little probability of winning,” she said.

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland filed a lawsuit last month in U.S. District Court in Nebraska over the law approved this spring by state lawmakers. The group said the measure could be difficult to comply with and could require doctors to give women irrelevant information.

A Planned Parenthood spokeswoman didn’t have an immediate comment on Bruning’s announcement.

The law would require women wanting abortions to be screened by doctors or other health professionals to determine whether they had risk factors indicating they could have mental or physical problems after an abortion.

The law was to take effect July 14, but a federal judge has temporarily blocked it from taking effect.

Online:

Nebraska attorney general: www.ago.ne.gov/