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Opponents Of 12-Week Abortion Ban File Briefs In Federal Court

Opponents of Arkansas' 12-week abortion ban say a federal appeals court should rule the law unconstitutional, arguing the state is trying to overturn 40 years of court precedent by seeking to reinstate the prohibition.

Two Little Rock doctors who perform abortions filed a brief Thursday asking the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a federal judge's ruling that the ban is unconstitutional. The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas and the Center for Reproductive Rights sued on behalf of the doctors.

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel appealed U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright's decision earlier this year.

Both sides in the case have said they don't want oral arguments before the appeals court.

The Republican-led Legislature approved the ban last year, overriding a veto by Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe.

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