By MALLORY MOENCH, The Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Federal judges will hear arguments Tuesday appealing an overturned law that let judges put minors seeking abortions through a trial-like process and appoint a lawyer for the fetus in Alabama.
A 2014 law changed the process that allows minors to get an abortion with a judge’s waiver instead of parental consent. It allowed the judge to appoint a lawyer for the fetus and let the district attorney call witnesses to decide whether the minor was mature enough to have an abortion.
A Montgomery abortion clinic sued in 2014. The lawsuit argued the process burdened the minor and violated confidentiality. A federal judge struck down the law in July 2017.
The state appealed in October. They said the regulatory law doesn’t hinder minors from getting abortions in their best interests.