Show caption The supreme court in Washington DC. Planned Parenthood has said that if the law stands, Arkansas would be the only state where women would not have access to two drugs that end early-stage pregnancies. Photograph: J. Scott Applewhite/AP Arkansas Supreme court rejects challenge to controversial Arkansas abortion law Critics of the law, which restricts how abortion pills are administered, say it could end medication abortions in the state

Associated Press Tue 29 May 2018 15.47 BST Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share via Email 2 years old

The supreme court is allowing the state of Arkansas to put in effect restrictions on how abortion pills are administered. Critics of a state law that had been challenged in the courts say the ruling could effectively end medication abortions in the state.

The justices did not comment on Tuesday in rejecting an appeal from Planned Parenthood’s affiliate in Arkansas, which had asked the court to review an appeals court ruling and reinstate a lower court order that had blocked the law from taking effect. The law says doctors who provide abortion pills must hold a contract with another physician who has admitting privileges at a hospital and who would agree to handle complications.

The law is similar to a provision in Texas law that the supreme court struck down in 2016.

The 8th US circuit court of appeals reversed the court order barring enforcement of the law, but put its ruling on hold while Planned Parenthood appealed to the supreme court.

The legal fight over the law is not over, but the state is now free to enforce the law, at least for the time being.

Planned Parenthood has said that if the law stands, Arkansas would be the only state where women would not have access to a pair of drugs that end early-stage pregnancies: mifepristone, which makes it difficult for a fetus to attach to the uterine wall, and misoprostol, which causes the body to expel it, similar to a miscarriage.