Judge puts state's new abortion law on hold

The state’s new abortion law’s enforcement is on hold until a federal judge schedules a hearing later this month.
Judge John deGravelles issued a restraining order late Sunday that blocks enforcement of the law that requires abortion clinic doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.
deGravelles’ order permits the clinics to remain open while doctors await approval of admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles.
The judge noted that three of the four doctors participating in the suit, two of whom are not plaintiffs, have filed for admitting privileges with hospitals within 30 miles of their clinics, but have yet to hear back on those applications..
The state, through DHH, had previously said it would not enforce the sanctions against the physicians awaiting hospital approval for admitting privileges.
Attorneys for three abortion clinics in Shreveport, Bossier City and Metairie and two unidentified doctors — one working in Shreveport and the other splitting time between Bossier City and Metairie — filed the lawsuit Aug. 22 arguing that doctors didn’t have adequate time to apply and receive responses from hospitals and that the law, Act 620, could close the state’s five abortion clinics.
The suit argued that the 81 days the law gave doctors to get admitting privileges and clinics to comply was woefully inadequate. It called forcing doctors to gain admitting privileges at any hospital within 30 miles in that amount of time “an impossible task” since most hospitals take between 90 days and seven months to decide on whether to grant a doctor admitting privileges.
Any doctor not complying with the new law faces a fine of up to $4,000 and the clinic the doctor works out could lose its license.