West Virginia says a ban on elective medical procedures during the coronavirus pandemic will reduce abortions but will be upheld in an eventual legal challenge.
Attorney General Patrick Morrisey on Thursday said the executive order “will be upheld because it’s designed to protect the public health and applies to all elective procedures and all elective facilities.”
The order went into effect this week and mirrors directives in other Republican-controlled states that have been temporarily blocked by federal judges.
Officials say at least 217 people in West Virginia have the virus after 5,493 tests.
