Supreme Court Refuses to Overturn Arizona's Inmate Abortions

The Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court turned down an appeal Monday from a county sheriff who objects to transporting jail inmates for elective abortions. An Arizona sheriff wanted the justices to allow him to enforce a jail policy that bars transporting inmates for abortions without a court order. Arizona courts said the policy violated the inmates' constitutional rights. A federal appeals court in Missouri recently issued a similar ruling in a case there. The justices did not comment on their decision to leave the Arizona ruling in place. Read more...

Related:
Supreme Court refuses to hear Arpaio's appeal
The Arizona Republic
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to consider an appeal from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office on whether it should be forced to take female jail prisoners to abortion clinics. Judges in the Maricopa County Superior Court and Arizona Court of Appeals ruled that the Sheriff's Office must provide the transport. Sheriff Joe Arpaio took the case to the U.S. Supreme Court and was turned away. "I'm disappointed," Arpaio said. "We fought the good fight. I still don't agree that we should take females on a voluntary basis to an abortion. I'm still against that. But we took it to the highest court, and we'll see what happens if the situation comes before me again in the jail system."

Posted by Editor at March 25, 2008 02:16 PM