New Mexico asks court to overturn cities' abortion bans

By Andrew Hay TAOS, N.M. (Reuters) - New Mexico's top prosecutor on Monday asked the state's highest court to overturn abortion bans imposed by conservative local

governments in the Democratic-run state where the procedure remains legal after Roe v. Wade was struck down. The move comes after the New Mexico cities of Hobbs, Clovis and

two surrounding counties bordering Texas passed ordinances in recent months to restrict abortion clinics and access to abortion pills. New Mexico Attorney General Raul

Torrez filed an extraordinary writ in New Mexico Supreme Court to block the ordinances which he said were based on flawed interpretations of 19th century federal regulations on

abortion medication. “This is not Texas. Our State Constitution does not allow cities, counties or private citizens to restrict women’s reproductive rights,” Torrez said in

a statement. Right-to-life activists said the regulations remained valid under federal law and vowed to work on bringing such ordinances to more cities in New Mexico, the

only state bordering Texas where abortion remains legal. New Mexico's largest cities of Las Cruces and Albuquerque have become regional destinations for women seeking

abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court in June ended the nationwide constitutional right to the procedure. Located on New Mexico's eastern plains, Clovis and Hobbs do not

have abortion clinics but approved ordinances to stop providers locating there to serve patients from Republican-controlled Texas, one of the first states to impose a near-total

ban on abortion.