A Democrat judge has temporarily blocked Louisiana’s trigger law banning abortion from going into effect.
Judge Robin Giarrusso of the Orleans Parish Civil District Court issued an order temporarily halting the law after abortion providers in the state filed a lawsuit.
The law was written so that if Roe v. Wade was overturned, virtually all abortions in the state would be immediately banned, unless the mother is at risk of death or permanent injury.
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry tweeted on Friday that “Louisiana’s trigger law banning #abortion is now in effect.”
Abortion providers represented by Center for Reproductive Rights argued that “the abortion restrictions violate providers’ due process rights and ‘lack constitutionally required safeguards to prevent arbitrary enforcement,’” according to a report from Fox News.
They also claimed the laws were vague and did not set a specific start time for the law to be applied.
The judge will hold a hearing on the case July 8 and determine if the law will remain blocked.
“A public health emergency is about to engulf the nation. As expected, Louisiana and many other states wasted no time enacting bans and eliminating abortion entirely,” Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement obtained by Axios.
“People who need an abortion right now are in a state of panic. We will be fighting to restore access in Louisiana and other states for as long as we can. Every day that a clinic is open and providing abortion services can make a difference in a person’s life,” Northup continued.
AG Landry has vowed to keep fighting.
For now, abortions will remain legal in the state.