US court allows Texas to resume ban on most abortions
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Washington: A United States federal appeals court ruled on Friday allowing Texas to resume its ban on most abortions, Agence France-Presse reported. The fresh ruling came after another court suspended the ban two days ago.
The New Orleans based US court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit temporarily set aside the last ruling on the case and effectively reinstated the ban on most abortions.
The decision came as certain clinics in Texas had resumed providing abortions for the first time since the law came into effect in September.
On Wednesday, a preliminary injunction halting enforcement of the Texas law named Senate Bill 8 was issued by US District Judge Robert Pitman. The judge had called the law "flagrantly unconstitutional" as it violated the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling, which enshrined a woman's legal right to an abortion.
But Attorney General in Texas, Ken Paxton, appealed that decision, and the appeal was granted on Friday evening. Paxton tweeted after the ruling that the Fifth Circuit has granted an administrative stay on the Senate Bill 8. He added that he would fight federal overreach at every turn.
As per Texas law, abortion is banned once a foetal heartbeat is detected, which is usually around six weeks. The law makes no exception for victims of rape or incest.
The broader conservative abortion law in Texas had provoked a public backlash in the US. A large number of women had taken to the streets in cities across the country for their reproductive rights.