On Monday, a Louisiana judge blocked enforcement of a statewide abortion ban that would trigger if and when Roe v. Wade was overturned.
The Center for Reproductive Rights and Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, two pro-abortion groups, filed to challenge the trigger law that went into effect after the ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which struck down federal protections on abortion, placing the decision in the hands of individual states.
The Center for Reproductive Rights sent out an email after the judge’s decision. “Abortion care will resume in the state and a hearing has been set for July 8th,” the email read.
In a statement, Center for Reproductive Rights Senior Staff Attorney Jenny Ma said, “Louisiana’s court made the right call today to swiftly block this unjust ban from taking effect. It is incredibly welcome news during a very dark time in our history. This means that Louisiana patients will still be able to access the essential health care they need—every second that abortion is accessible counts. While the fight is far from over, we will do everything in our power to preserve abortion access in Louisiana and across the country.”
These groups filed on behalf of other organizations such as Hope Medical Group for Women, who asked the court to determine what options exist for lifesaving care which requires aborting a pregnancy.
“In a stunning state of affairs, the day Dobbs was issued, state and local officials issued conflicting statements about whether and which trigger laws were actually in effect and thus what conduct—if any—was prohibited. Due process requires more,” the groups wrote in a statement Monday.
“There is tremendous urgency around this petition and emergency motion as the Dobbs decision has precipitated a tidal wave of canceled appointments and the withdrawal of critical services in states with trigger laws throughout the nation, perhaps none more so than in Louisiana where the trigger laws are immediately effective,” they added.
Louisiana is just one place where Democrats are attempting to block abortion bans, and many are weighing options to stop the effects of Dobbs at a federal level, including declaring a federal health emergency or setting up abortion clinics on federal land, outside of state jurisdiction.
“We are committed to this monumental legal challenge – not to perpetuate an endless political battle, but to ensure our patients’ wellbeing and so that they may draw strength from our dedication to this fight,” Hope Medical Group Administrator Kathaleen Pittman said in a statement Monday.
As of now, over a dozen states have enacted legislation to ban or heavily restrict the practice of abortion within state lines, including Texas, West Virginia and Alabama.
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