Court dismisses challenge to ban on abortions based on race, sex

One of the most liberal federal courts in the country has dismissed a lawsuit against Arizona's law banning abortions based on a fetus' race or sex.

The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, known as perhaps the most liberal appeals court in the U.S., said Tuesday that the American Civil Liberties Union doesn't have standing to challenge the law, saying the group hasn't demonstrated the measure violates the constitutional rights of minorities.

The 2011 law makes it a felony to perform an abortion if the doctor knows it is sought based on the fetus' race or sex. Arizona is the only state with a ban on racially selective abortions and one of seven states to ban abortions based on sex.

The ACLU, representing the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, had argued that the law is unconstitutional because it stigmatizes minorities by assuming they would want to seek abortions for reasons of race or gender.

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