Federal judge issues order blocking Texas' 6-week abortion ban

A federal judge in Texas issued an order Wednesday blocking the state's six-week abortion ban.

"From the moment S.B. 8 went into effect, women have been unlawfully prevented from exercising control over their lives in ways that are protected by the Constitution," US District Judge Robert Pitman said in the decision, granting a request from the Justice Department, which brought the lawsuit.

"That other courts may find a way to avoid this conclusion is theirs to decide; this Court will not sanction one more day of this offensive deprivation of such an important right."

The judge's order is a victory for abortion rights proponents, who had seen other attempts to block the law stymied by the ban's novel design. It may, however, be only a temporary victory.

Pitman, in his order, aimed to get around the novel enforcement scheme -- which, its supporters have boasted, was put in place to complicate the legal path abortion rights advocates usually take to obtain court orders blocking extreme laws.

Rather than task government officials with enforcing the ban, the Texas Legislature deputized private citizens to bring state court litigation against any clinic that performs an abortion. Those who assist a person obtain an abortion that violates the ban can be targeted with state court litigation as well, under the law, which threatens damages of at least $10,000.