A Louisiana judge on Monday temporarily blocked the enforcement of the state's abortion "trigger law." The move comes as providers in Louisiana had stopped performing abortions on Friday, after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe. v. Wade.
Louisiana is one of 13 states to adopt trigger laws, which were enacted in anticipation of the Roe v. Wade ruling, so that the law can swiftly take effect.
The petition was filed by Hope Medical Group For Women, one of Louisiana's three abortion clinics, as well as Medical Students for Choice. Judge Robin Giarrusso of the Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Robin Giarrusso granted the order and set a hearing for July 8.
“Louisiana’s court made the right call today to swiftly block this unjust ban from taking effect,” said Center for Reproductive Rights Senior Staff Attorney Jenny Ma in a statement.
“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.”
There are 12 other states with trigger laws are Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
“Louisiana’s rushed and poorly conceived trigger laws are unconstitutionally vague and violate due process,” said CRR attorney Joanna Wright in the statement.
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said Monday that his office would continue defending Louisiana’s anti-abortion laws.
