A federal judge has struck down Arkansas' attempt to ban most abortions beginning 12 weeks into a woman's pregnancy, saying viability, not a heartbeat, remains the key factor in determining whether abortions should be allowed.
U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright last year had stopped enforcement of the law.
The Republican-controlled Legislature passed it over Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe's objections.
The judge made her decision final Friday. Wright said the 12-week ban undermined U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have said a fetus' ability to live outside the womb should be the controlling factor on whether abortions may occur.
She left in place a portion of the law that requires doctors to check for a fetal heartbeat and to notify the pregnant woman if one is present.
