Minnesota attorney general won't appeal ruling blocking abortion restrictions

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said Thursday that the state will not appeal a judge's ruling overturning a number of the state's longstanding restrictions on abortion.

The big picture: Minnesota providers are preparing for more out-of-state patients in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling reversing Roe v. Wade.

• Ellison's decision to let a Ramsey County judge's ruling stand will reduce barriers to access for those providers and their patients.

Background: The Minnesota ruling, released earlier this month, was the result of a lawsuit filed by abortion rights advocates targeting state-level laws regulating and restricting abortion.

• Overturned statutes included a 24-hour waiting period law, a two-parent notification mandate for minors and the requirement that all abortions, including those induced using medication, are done by a doctor.

What he's saying: Ellison cited what he said was a low likelihood of obtaining a different result through appeal and "the public's need for finality" as factors in his decision.

• "[The] people of Minnesota need to know what the law is in Minnesota when it comes to the availability of abortion care," he said in a statement.

The other side: Scott Fischbach, executive director of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, said abortion opponents are "deeply disappointed" in Ellison's decision not to appeal what he called an "extreme and mistaken ruling that eliminated commonsense abortion policies in Minnesota."

What to watch: Ellison, a Democrat who supports abortion rights, is expected to face a tough path to re-election in November.

• Expect both sides to use this decision to fire up their respective bases as the campaign heats up.