This is the media advisory:
MEDIA ADVISORY
September 29, 2011
Health Care Providers File Lawsuit to Challenge Demeaning and Intrusive North Carolina Ultrasound Law
Groups Say State Violates Free Speech by Forcing Doctors to Give Patients Unwanted, Nonessential Information
Contact: Mike Meno, office (919) 834-3466, cell phone (919) 247-5456, [email protected]
RALEIGH — Today the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of North Carolina Legal Foundation, Planned Parenthood Health Systems, Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina, and the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a new North Carolina law that requires abortion providers to force women to undergo an ultrasound and forces doctors to describe the embryo or fetus to the women in detail prior to having an abortion, even if the woman objects. The lawsuit, filed in the federal district court for the Middle District of North Carolina, alleges that the new law violates the rights of health care providers and women seeking abortions.
The new law, which was passed by the North Carolina General Assembly despite a veto by the governor, requires that every woman, regardless of her circumstances, undergo state-directed biased counseling and endure two state-imposed waiting periods before she can have an abortion in North Carolina. A copy of the complaint and relevant legal papers can be found online at www.acluofnc.org.
What: Press Conference and Q&A
Who: Katy Parker, Legal Director, ACLU of North Carolina Legal Foundation (ACLU-NCLF), Bebe Anderson, Senior Counsel, Center for Reproductive Rights, Melissa Reed, Vice President for Public Policy, Planned Parenthood Health Systems
When: Thursday, September 29, 2011, at 12:00 noon
Where: Workplace Options, 2912 Highwoods Blvd, Raleigh, NC 27604
To RSVP and receive a conference call number, please contact ACLU-NCLF Communications Manager Mike Meno at [email protected] or (919) 834-3466.
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