Louisiana Judge Allows Abortions to Become Legal Again – Tuesday, a judge in Louisiana temporarily permitted abortions amid a legal back-and-forth following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The judge’s order prevented the state from enforcing a nearly total ban on abortions for the second time.
While a prominent legal challenge is being pursued in the state’s capital, Baton Rouge, Judge Donald Johnson issued a temporary restraining order blocking the state’s abortion restrictions. In order to prevent the state’s three abortion bans from taking effect last month, one judge had previously issued a temporary restraining order. However, last week, another judge ruled that the court lacked the authority to do so, effectively making abortions once again illegal.
Johnson’s most recent ruling effectively permits the state’s abortion services to resume up until at least July 18, when he holds a hearing on the issue. Louisianans and abortion providers are scrambling as they learn how to function in the state’s post-Roe system as a result of the legal maneuvers.
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The inconsistent rulings, according to one of the state’s few surviving abortion clinics in Shreveport, were described as “insane” and “stressful” by the New York Times, who also highlighted that the facility will resume services for at least the next few days.
Jeff Landry, the attorney general for Louisiana, slammed the judge’s decision, claiming that the people “have spoken both directly at the ballot box and via their elected legislature repeatedly.” The decision was praised by abortion rights groups as being “an incredible relief for people who need abortion care right now in Louisiana.”
One of many states with so-called trigger laws in place, Louisiana had abortion restrictions take effect as soon as the conservative majority on the Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe v. Wade last month. However, healthcare providers swiftly filed a lawsuit to prevent them from proceeding.
