Ruling on Abortion Suit Delayed

A federal judge is delaying enforcement of an Alabama law regulating abortion clinics for one more week while he tries to rule on a lawsuit challenging the law. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson had planned to rule on the lawsuit by Monday. But he issued an order extending a prohibition against enforcing the law through April 2 to give him more time to rule. The American Civil Liberties Union and abortion clinic operators are challenging an Alabama law that requires doctors at abortion clinics to have privileges to admit patients to local hospitals. The plaintiffs say three of Alabama's five abortion clinics use traveling doctors and they don't have enough patients to get admitting privileges. The state attorney general's office is defending the law and says it protects women's health.