(CBS DETROIT) – A Michigan Court of Claims judge has granted a preliminary injunction blocking abortion regulations, including the 24-hour waiting period, “informed consent” and a ban on advanced practice clinicians providing abortion care.
The ruling comes after Northland Family Planning Centers and Medicals Students for Choice filed a lawsuit seeking a declaration that the three regulations were unconstiutional.
On Tuesday, Judge Sima Patel wrote the regulations infringe upon reproductive freedom that voters approved two years ago .
“The 24-hour waiting period forces needless delay on patients after they are able to consent to a procedure, thus burdening and infringing upon a patient’s access to abortion care,” Patel wrote.
Patel also wrote that the ban only allowing a “physician” to provide abortion care limits other providers, including registered nurses, nurse midwives and physician assistants.
“The artificial limitation on the available pool of abortion providers imposes logistical barriers to abortion access, increasing patient wait time and travel distances. This exacerbates existing provider shortages, leading to large swathes of Michigan that currently lack physicians to provide abortion care,” the judge said.