State Attorney General Ernie Preate filed an early appeal to the Supreme Court of a lower court ruling overturning parts of Pennsylvania's abortion-control law.

Preate filed his appeal Monday, six weeks before the Supreme Court's deadline, and the high court could hear the case by April, with a ruling before the summer recess.Preate appealed a decision Oct. 21 by the 3rd U.S. Curcuit Court of Appeals, which threw out a provision of the state law that would force women to notify their husbands before having abortions.

"As I said when we announced our intention to appeal, we believe Pennsylvania's law is constitutional in its entirety, and can be found constitutional without overturning Roe vs. Wade," Preate said in a statement. "It is a reasonable, moderate statute, adopted as a compromise measure by a Legislature and governor elected by the people."

Planned Parenthood has also appealed the October ruling, saying the lower court upheld two other restrictions constituting "undue burden" on women seeking abortions.

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Those provisions call for women under 18 to get parental permission before having abortions and for all women to listen to a state-prepared speech, then wait 24 hours before having the procedure.

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