"Court Avoids Abortion Issue in N.H. Case"

"In the case that is before us ... the lower courts need not have invalidated the law wholesale," [Justice Sandra Day] O'Connor wrote. "Only a few applications of New Hampshire's parental notification statute would present a constitutional problem."
...
The ruling broke little new ground. However, [Supreme Court] justices said that lower courts in addressing flaws in abortion laws do not have to take the "most blunt remedy," striking down an entire law. Instead, the justices said that other "modest" options are available.
...
The 9-0 decision reaffirmed that states can require parental involvement in abortion decisions and that state restrictions must have an exception to protect the mother's health. It also gave states new ammunition in defending restrictions on the procedure.