NATION IN BRIEF : PENNSYLVANIA : Strict New Law on Abortion Upheld

An appeals court in Philadelphia refused to hear a challenge to the state’s strict abortion law, making it likely that the law will take effect next month. In May, a federal judge stayed the law, saying abortion rights advocates deserved a chance to prove that it posed an “undue burden” to women seeking abortions. The state appealed to the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. In 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act, which requires women to receive counseling about alternatives to abortion and then wait 24 hours before undergoing the procedure. The law also requires unmarried girls younger than 18 to get the permission of their parents before obtaining an abortion.