COLUMBUS (AP) — The federal government took Ohio’s side Tuesday in a lawsuit over the state law prohibiting doctors from performing abortions based on a fetal diagnosis of Down syndrome.

The Justice Department said in a filing that “nothing in Ohio’s law creates a substantial obstacle to women obtaining an abortion, and nothing in the Constitution or Supreme Court precedent requires States to authorize medical providers to participate in abortions the providers know are based on Down syndrome.”

Government attorneys argue the bill doesn’t outlaw any abortions, it only places restrictions on providers.

The full 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to rehear the case after a three-judge panel agreed with a lower court  that the 2017 law was likely unconstitutional. That left in place a federal judge’s earlier order placing enforcement of the law on hold.

Taking up an argument used by supporters, the federal government told the court the law protects against discrimination based on disability, sticking with the principle established in other laws, such as the Americans for Disabilities Act.

The law would specifically outlaw abortions in cases where there is a positive test result or prenatal diagnosis indicating Down syndrome. Physicians who perform such an abortion could be charged with a fourth-degree felony, stripped of their medical license and held liable for legal damages under the law.