Abortion rights demonstrators outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on July 4. Photo: Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A Louisiana judge on Thursday blocked "trigger" laws that would have made nearly all abortions illegal in the state, AP reports.
The big picture: The ruling by a state district judge allows clinics to resume performing abortions while a lawsuit filed by one of Louisiana's abortion clinics and others continues, per AP.
- Plaintiffs in the suit argue Louisiana's trigger laws are conflicting, and that laws are vague in key areas, such as what conditions would qualify as a "medically futile" pregnancy that would allow for an exception to the ban, per AP.
Driving the news: This is the third time a judge has blocked the implementation of Louisiana's trigger laws.
- The trigger laws were first temporarily blocked in late June, before a state judge lifted the block on July 8, allowing the bans to go into effect.
- The near-total ban was blocked again just days later.
What they're saying: “Today’s decision will allow so many people in Louisiana and neighboring states to continue to chart their own lives and futures. Patients have been terrified that any day these bans might take effect again and they’ll be left with no options," said Jenny Ma, an attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, which sued to block the laws.
- "While today’s decision is not the final ruling, it is a huge victory in preserving access to essential health care in Louisiana and for those in the region,” Ma said.
Go deeper: Louisiana's abortion ban will be "devastating" for patients in need of urgent care, doctors warn