Lawsuit Seeks to Overturn Minnesota Abortion Restrictions

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) _ Abortion rights supporters are seeking to overturn Minnesota's restrictions on abortion, including its 24-hour waiting period and parental notification requirements.

A lawsuit, filed in state court by Gender Justice and the Lawyering Project, argues the restrictions violate Minnesota's constitution.

A 1995 Minnesota Supreme Court decision affirmed abortion rights. But the lawsuit contends opponents have chipped away at those rights over time.
The lawsuit runs counter to the trend of states imposing stricter restrictions on access to abortion with the goal of getting the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider its 1973 ruling that legalized abortion.

Amanda Allen of the Lawyering Project says those efforts make the legal challenge to Minnesota's restrictions essential.

Paul Stark, a spokesman for Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, calls the lawsuit ``extreme,'' saying it challenges reasonable laws.