Abortion rights groups are asking a federal judge to block several new abortion restrictions in Arkansas, including a ban on a commonly used second-trimester procedure.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a lawsuit Tuesday to block laws that have yet to take effect but were approved by lawmakers this year.
The suit challenges a ban on a procedure known as dilation and evacuation, which abortion-rights supporters say is the safest and most common procedure used in second-trimester abortions. Similar bans are in effect in Mississippi and West Virginia but have been blocked in other states.
The suit also challenges a ban on "sex selection" abortions, arguing it creates indefinite delays for a woman seeking an abortion, and new requirements on disclosure and tissue disposal.
