|
 U.S. District Judge Douglas Rayes raised concerns in an order
granting a partial preliminary injunction against the law, according
to a court filing late on Tuesday in the United States District
Court for the district of Arizona.
"This problem is exacerbated by the reality that the decision to
terminate a pregnancy is a complex one, and often is motivated by a
variety of considerations, some of which are inextricably
intertwined with the detection of a fetal genetic," Rayes wrote in
the order.
However, the judge declined to grant a preliminary injunction for
another aspect of the legislation requiring fetuses, embryos and
fertilized eggs to be referred to as "people" from the point of
conception.
In April, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed into law a measure
banning abortions performed strictly on the basis of genetic
disorders detected in the fetus, such as Down syndrome or cystic
fibrosis, unless the condition is considered lethal.
The bill, approved earlier in Arizona's Republican-controlled
legislature along strict party-line votes, makes it a felony for a
medical professional to terminate a pregnancy solely on the basis of
a hereditary abnormality in the fetus.
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 Cathi Herrod, president of the
Center for Arizona Policy, which sponsored the
legislation, said Tuesday's ruling was "only the
first review by the federal courts".
"We remain confident the law will be upheld and ruled enforceable in
its entirety," Herrod added.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) expressed relief in a
statement cited by news website Axios. The ACLU had filed a lawsuit
challenging the legislation on behalf of the Arizona Medical
Association and a local doctor.
"People should not be interrogated about their reason for seeking an
abortion," the ACLU said. "There are no right or wrong reasons."
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; editing by Philippa
Fletcher)
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