Mississippi Appeals Ruling Against Restrictive Abortion Law

By Emily Le Coz

Aug 14 (Reuters) - Mississippi filed an appeal on Thursday to a federal court decision deeming unconstitutional its 2012 law that would shut down the state's sole abortion clinic and force women seeking the procedure to go out of state.

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood is seeking a hearing before the full 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on the law, which required abortion clinics to obtain hospital admitting privileges for their doctors.

A three-judge panel from the circuit issued a 2-1 ruling against the law last month, finding that Mississippi could not rely on other states to uphold its constitutional duty to provide women access to abortion.

That ruling upheld a lower court's preliminary injunction against the law.

Doctors with Jackson Women's Health Organization, Mississippi's only abortion clinic, tried but failed to obtain admitting privileges. Many hospitals refused to consider their applications. (Reporting by Emily Le Coz; Editing by Jonathan Kaminsky and Mohammad Zargham)