Several State Courts Temporarily Block Abortion Bans

In some states, "trigger laws" reactivating old abortion bans were due to take effect when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last week. But some state courts are putting them on hold — at least for now.

With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union and other pro-choice groups, lawsuits were filed Monday in Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi and Texas by abortion providers challenging state abortion bans. Courts in Texas and Kentucky temporarily blocked their state's bans as a result. Meanwhile, lawsuits from abortion providers in Utah and Louisiana led judges to issue temporary restraining orders that halt enforcement of bans in those states. And in Florida, a judge said he'd temporarily block a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy because it violates the state constitution's privacy protections, though his ruling won't take effect before the ban becomes law on Friday.

Some state officials plan to appeal the decisions. A spokesperson for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) disagreed with the judge's ruling and said the state's constitution does'nt include "a right to kill an innocent unborn child." Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton responded to his state court's ruling by committing to an immediate appeal, and said he would "ensure we have all the legal tools to keep TX pro-life!"

Some news reports from right-rated sources focused more on Republican leaders vowing to appeal the blockages. Some coverage from left-rated sources focused more on abortion rights groups who celebrated the rulings.