MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama is asking an appellate court to allow the state to block abortions during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Attorney General Steve Marshall said the state is appealing to the 11th U.S. Circuit of Appeals seeking to overturn an injunction issued by a federal judge. Alabama argued in court filings that some abortions can be safely postponed as the state tries to conserve medical equipment and fight the spread of the virus.
Similar legal fights over abortions during the pandemic are ongoing in Texas, Ohio and Oklahoma.
Alabama banned many elective medical procedures. Abortion clinics filed a lawsuit after they said the state refused to clarify that they could continue to operate.
