Washington in brief

Judge keeps abortion files private

A federal judge in San Francisco on Friday rejected the Justice Department's attempt to obtain abortion records from Planned Parenthood of America, probably halting demands for as many as 1,000 patient files from clinics around the country, according to Justice officials and the family planning group.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton is a legal setback for the department, which is attempting to obtain edited records of patients as it defends the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act approved last year. Planned Parenthood and other organizations have filed lawsuits attempting to overturn the statute on the grounds it is unconstitutional.

Hamilton ruled from the bench that the files were not relevant or necessary for a trial, which is scheduled to begin March 29, according to Justice and Planned Parenthood officials.

The head of Amnesty International USA accused the Pentagon Friday of covering up reports of female soldiers and wives of soldiers being sexually and physically abused by U.S. servicemen.

"When women enlist in the U.S. armed forces, they are signing up to defend their country, not to defend themselves from attacks by fellow" soldiers, said William Schulz, executive director of the U.S. arm of the human rights group.

Servicewomen outside of combat areas have reported more than 200 cases of abuse during the last 18 months, he said. Also, Schulz said, wives and partners of servicemen report more than 10,000 cases of spouse abuse a year.

In a written statement, the Pentagon said that officials were unaware of Amnesty International USA's assertions. "Sexual assault is criminal conduct and will not be tolerated in the Department of Defense," the statement said.

The Miles Foundation, a support group for military sexual assault victims, said 83 servicewomen stationed in the Middle East have reported being raped or assaulted in the last 18 months.

In at least two cases, multiple victims reported having been attacked by the same soldier, said Christine Hansen, executive director. The foundation said Friday it has reported the cases and formal reports have been filed.

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