A federal judge has delayed enforcement of a key portion of Alabama's new abortion clinic law until March 24, 2014.
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson issued an order Tuesday postponing enforcement to the date suggested by attorneys on both sides of a lawsuit challenging part of the law.
The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood are trying to block a portion of the law that requires doctors at abortion clinics to have approval to admit patients to nearby hospitals.
Attorneys for the clinics and the state say the March date would allow them time to develop their cases while resolving the lawsuit as soon as possible.
The judge indicated in a hearing Friday that he would go along with the date, but he made it official Tuesday.
