A tough new abortion law in Nebraska will not be defended by state Attorney General Jon Bruning. Instead, he agreed to a permanent federal injunction against the law, which effectively kills it.

The law would have required health screenings for women seeking abortions. The screenings were to help determine whether mothers had risk factors that would cause mental or physical problems after an abortion.

Bruning said the law would ultimately be found unconstitutional, and that he does not want to waste taxpayer money in court challenges.

"We will not squander the state's resources on a case that has very little probability of winning," Shannon Kingery, a spokeswoman for the attorney general's office said.

Nebraska lawmakers approved the measure last spring, but Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit, saying doctors could give irrelevant information to mothers seeking an abortion.

"We have maintained from day one that this law was unconstitutional, and we are coming close to end of this legal battle," Jill June, President and Chief Executive Officer of Planned Parenthood, said.

Nebraska Senator Cap Dierks introduced the measure and said he may pursue similar legislation in the near future.

"I think it was a very important piece of legislation for women in our state. Whatever we need to do to make it acceptable, we'll do," Dierks said.