Arkansas asks U.S. Supreme Court to revisit abortion question

 Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas' attorney general wants the U.S. Supreme Court to use a law passed by state legislators in 2013 to reconsider its 1973 ruling broadening abortion rights.

Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said in court papers Tuesday that abortion regulations should no longer be based on a fetus' ability to live outside the womb, usually at 22 to 24 weeks' gestation. She said the new standard should be whether a doctor can detect a fetal heartbeat.

A federal judge struck down Arkansas' law banning most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, and a federal appeals court agreed.

The American Civil Liberties Union has said it appears Arkansas is determined to undo 40 years of court decisions with the law.

Arkansas' Republican-dominated Legislature passed the law despite Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe's veto.

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