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Arizona abortion restrictions to remain blocked

By WTOP Staff

PAUL ELIAS
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The nation’s strictest rules on the use of abortion drugs are likely to be struck down and will continue to be blocked while a lawsuit against them plays out, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

A unanimous three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Arizona regulations appear to be an unconstitutional “undue burden on a woman’s right to abortion” and kept in place its injunction on them. The decision reverses a lower court ruling that found the rules legal.

Planned Parenthood Arizona and the Tucson Women’s Center are challenging the regulations, which would ban women from taking the most common abortion-inducing drug — RU-486 — after the seventh week of pregnancy. Women had been allowed to take the abortion pill through nine weeks of pregnancy.

The rules also require that the drug be administered only at the FDA-approved dosage and that both doses be taken at a clinic. The usual dosage is lower, and it’s normally taken at home, decreasing the cost and chance of complications.

The 9th Circuit rejected Arizona’s arguments that the new restrictions were passed to protect women’s health and designed to comply with FDA-approved use.

Judge William Fletcher, writing for the 9th Circuit panel, said the FDA “encourages” so-called off-label use of RU-486, formally mifepristone, which is most often administered in lower doses than the approved label directs.

“Arizona has presented no evidence whatsoever that the law furthers any interest in women’s health,” Fletcher wrote.

Andrew Wilder, spokeswoman for Republican Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, said the state intends to keep fighting to get the law implemented. Brewer is a staunch opponent of abortion.

“The state will continue to litigate the case in District Court,” Wilder said.

Planned Parenthood Arizona says the rules would force hundreds of women to undergo a surgical abortion while also placing a financial burden on women who live far from an abortion clinic. Planned Parenthood says the higher dose also exposes women to unnecessary side effects.

But Arizona’s attorneys say the rules are meant to protect women’s health by mandating that drugs be used according to FDA-approved protocol. They say women will still have access to alternative types of abortions in Arizona.

The Center for Reproductive Rights, which argued the case for the abortion providers, hailed the ruling.

“This law was never more than another backdoor attempt to restrict women’s constitutional right to decide for themselves whether to end a pregnancy, and to cut off access to health care options recommended by the doctors women trust and rely on,” Nancy Northup, the center’s president and CEO, said in a statement.

The Legislature approved the rules in 2012, and Brewer signed them into law.

A federal judge in Tucson, where the case against them is being heard, declined to temporarily block the rules a day before they were to take effect in April. U.S. District Judge David C. Bury said in his ruling that although the new rules will make it more difficult for some women, they aren’t obstacles big enough to show they should be blocked.

The 9th Circuit ordered Bury to reverse his ruling and block the rules while considering Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit.

The abortion drug restriction bill was one of many pushed in recent years by the Center for Arizona Policy, a conservative group. Two of its abortion restriction laws — a ban on Medicaid money for any of Planned Parenthood’s nonabortion services and a ban on abortion after 20 weeks — previously were blocked by federal courts.

Josh Kredit, legal counsel for the group, called the ruling “just another example that the 9th Circuit is out of step with other courts.” Appeals courts in two other federal circuits — the fifth and sixth — have upheld similar restrictions, he said.

“The law will not be in effect, but we will live to fight another day and hopefully it will be appealed to the Supreme Court,” Kredit said.

David Brown, an attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, acknowledged that federal courts have split on the issue, but said state courts have blocked laws in two states, making it 3 to 2 against medication abortion restrictions.

___

Christie reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writer Astrid Galvan in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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