Abortion providers are facing a potentially crippling legal headache as the Trump administration considers whether to allow them to continue providing services to women undergoing the procedure.
A panel of nine federal appeals courts has asked the Trump Justice Department to consider whether it has jurisdiction to intervene in the cases.
The lawsuit was filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal organization.
It says the lawsuit is an attempt by the Trump Administration to shut down abortion clinics, and that the law violates women’s rights and the Constitution’s equal protection clause.
The group says the administration’s move violates the right to due process under the 14th Amendment and the right not to be discriminated against under the equal protection and due process clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment.
In a statement, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the nation’s largest abortion provider, said it was “disappointed” by the decision.
The organization says the Trump Health and Human Services Department has been moving toward a rule allowing abortion providers to continue to provide abortions to women with medically necessary medical conditions.
The new rules are set to take effect in 2020.
The Alliance Defended Freedom says the new rule would mean women could have to travel far from their homes and go to the nearest hospital to have an abortion.
It argues the Obama administration’s abortion restrictions violate women’s right to freedom of religion, due process and equal protection.