Arkansas lawsuit takes on near-total abortion ban

A group of women and a doctor in Arkansas are challenging the state’s almost total ban on abortion. A lawsuit alleges that the law allows abortion only in a “medical emergency” but doesn’t clearly define what that means. The suit, filed earlier this year and amended this week, notes that more than 101,000 state residents have signed a petition seeking a return to legal abortion in the state, adding that the state has also failed to issue guidance to medical professionals. “Arkansas’ abortion bans are vague, confusing and, worse, extremely dangerous,” the suit alleges. “Patients and their families have been left to deal with the laws’ impact on their lives by themselves.”