New Mexico Supreme Court to decide fate of local abortion restrictions
Fox News
The New Mexico Supreme Court is considering the validity of local abortion restrictions in several cities and counties following a request from the state's attorney general.
In New Mexico's Lea and Roosevelt counties and the cities of Hobbs and Clovis, where opposition to abortion runs deep, officials argue that local governments have the right to back federal abortion restrictions under a 19th century U.S. law that prohibits the shipping of abortion medication and supplies. They say the local abortion ordinances can't be struck down until federal courts rule on the meaning of provision within the "anti-vice" law known as the Comstock Act.
Attorney General Raúl Torrez has argued that the recently enacted local laws violate state constitutional guarantees — including New Mexico’s equal rights amendment that prohibits discrimination based on sex or being pregnant.