A federal judge has temporarily suspended the enforcement of the state’s restrictive abortion law.
U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman of Austin “From the moment (the law) went into effect, women have been unlawfully prevented from exercising control over their lives in ways that are protected by the Constitution,” Pitman wrote in his decision.
While he acknowledged the possibility of his order being appealed in another court, he made it clear that “this Court will not sanction one more day of this offensive deprivation of such an important right.”
The state says it plans to appeal the decision.
“Tonight’s ruling is an important step forward toward restoring the constitutional rights of women across the state of Texas,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement late Wednesday. “The fight has only just begun, both in Texas and in many states across this country where women’s rights are currently under attack.”
The controversial law went into effect Sept. 1 and ultimately banned abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is usually around six weeks of pregnancy. This is despite the fact that women may not even be aware of a pregnancy at six weeks.
According to AP News, Texas Right to Life, the state’s largest anti-abortion group, said they expected the ruling.
“This is ultimately the legacy of Roe v. Wade, that you have activist judges bending over backwards, bending precedent, bending the law, in order to cater to the abortion industry,” said Kimberlyn Schwartz, a spokeswoman for the group. “These activist judges will create their conclusion first: that abortion is a so-called constitutional right and then work backwards from there.”
