Louisiana judge blocks abortion ban amid uproar after Roe v Wade ruling


A Louisiana judge on Monday temporarily blocked the state from enforcing Republican-backed laws banning abortion, which take effect after the US Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to the procedure last week.

Louisiana is one of 13 states that passed “trigger laws” to ban or severely restrict abortions after the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling that recognized the right to the procedure. It did so on Friday, fueling uproar among progressives and protests and counter-protests on the streets of major cities.

In New Orleans on Monday, an Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge, Robin Giarrusso, issued a temporary restraining orderblocking the state ban.

The case before Judge Giarruso, a Democrat, was brought by Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport, one of three abortion clinics in Louisiana.

“We will do what we can,” Kathaleen Pittman, administrator of Hope Medical Group, told the Associated Press. “Everything could come to a standstill.”

the louisiana lawsuit it is one of several Republican-backed abortion laws that challenge state constitutions.

In Utah, a branch of Planned Parenthood sued Saturday over an activation ban. In Ohio, abortion rights advocates plan to challenge a six-week abortion ban that went into effect Friday. Florida’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks is also the subject of a temporary block request.

In Arizona, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and an abortion rights group filed an emergency motion Saturday to block a 2021 law they worry could be used to stop all abortions. abortions.

On the national stage Monday, a group of 22 attorneys general issued a statement vowing to “leverage our collective resources” to help women in states where abortion is banned.

One statement read: “Abortion care is medical care. Period.”

The declaration was signed by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina , Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

They said: “We stand together, as the chief law enforcement officers of our states, to say with pride that we will not back down in the fight to protect the rights of pregnant people in our states and across the country.

“While the US Supreme Court’s decision reverses nearly a half-century of legal precedent and undermines the rights of people in the United States, we stand together in reaffirming our commitment to support and expand access to care. abortion across the country.

The statement added: “Ultimately, what hurts people in some states hurts us all. The future and well-being of our nation is inextricably linked to the ability of our residents to exercise their fundamental rights.

“…If you are seeking access to abortion and reproductive health care, we are committed to using the full force of the law to…fight for your rights and uphold our laws.

“We will support our partners and service providers. We will stand up to those who seek to control their bodies and take advantage of our collective resources: thousands of dedicated attorneys and public servants in all of our states. Together, we will persist.”

The fury of protesters in the US after Roe v Wade overturned – video

As of Saturday, abortion services had stopped in at least 11 states. Speaking to the Associated Press, Brigitte Amiri, deputy director of the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project, said the group was looking at “all options” to protect access.

But lawsuits can only buy time. Even if the courts block the restrictions, lawmakers could address any cited flaws.

That is likely to be the case in Louisiana. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit do not deny that the state can ban abortion. Instead, they contend that Louisiana has multiple and conflicting trigger mechanisms in law.

The lawsuit says the trigger laws, the first of which was passed in 2006, make it impossible to know when they are in effect, whether any or all of them are in effect, and what conduct is prohibited. The lawsuit contends that such vagueness has led state and local officials to issue conflicting statements about whether the activation bans are in effect.

Judge Giarruso wrote: “Each of the three triggering bans precludes different conduct, making it impossible to know what abortion care is illegal and what is permitted, including care that may be provided to save a woman’s life or end abortion care. a medically useless pregnancy.

Giarruso scheduled a hearing for July 8 to decide whether to block further enforcement of the ban. The Center for Reproductive Rights, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of the clinic, said abortion care was resuming in Louisiana.

The state’s Republican Attorney General, Jeff Landry, had no immediate comment. On Friday, he said those who defied the state bans would be “in for a tough fight.”

Prosecutors in some Democratic-led cities in Republican-led states have indicated they will not enforce abortion bans.

New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams said he would not criminalize abortions and that the Roe v Wade overturn “is a cruel and irresponsible dispossession of a woman’s agency.”

Condemning leaders for not focusing on issues like lifting children out of poverty, additional: “It would not be wise or prudent to shift our priority from addressing the senseless violence that occurs in our city to investigating the choices women make regarding their own bodies.”

On Monday, in light of moves by Cincinnati city leaders to support abortion access, Joseph Deters, the county’s Republican attorney, said: “I have said repeatedly that it is dangerous when prosecutors pick and choose which laws they want to enforce. When prosecutors fail to live up to their oath, they will promote lawlessness and challenge basic structures of separation of powers.”

Regarding the Louisiana case, Nancy Northup, executive director of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said: “A public health emergency is about to engulf the nation. We will fight to restore access in Louisiana and other states for as long as we can.

“Every day a clinic is open and providing abortion services can make a difference in someone’s life.”




Reference-www.theguardian.com

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