Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Administration Will Join Abortion Case

The Supreme Court announced that Bush Administration attorneys will be permitted to present arguments in a Pennsylvania abortion case that could sharply limit abortion rights. On April 22, the justices will hear arguments in the case (Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania vs. Casey, 91-744). It stems from a lawsuit filed by the family planning organization that challenges a state law imposing several restrictions on women seeking abortions. The law requires women to wait 24 hours after contacting their doctors, to notify their spouses of the pregnancy and to hear about alternatives to abortion.