CNA Staff, Mar 31, 2020 / 08:00 am
Federal judges in Texas, Alabama, and Ohio on Monday halted state rules that would either limit or halt entirely certain abortions during the coronavirus pandemic.
A federal court for the Western District of Texas on Monday granted a temporary injunction against the state's order designating most abortions in the state as non-essential procedures. Gov. Greg Abbott on March 22 signed an executive order that halted non-essential surgeries and medical procedures in the state, in order to free up resources for hospitals to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Texas state attorney general Ken Paxton clarified later that the order included most abortions as non-essential procedures, allowing only for abortions when the life or health of the mother was deemed to be at risk.
A coalition of abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and the Lawyering Project, filed a lawsuit against the executive order saying Paxton's enforcement of the order was a "blatant effort to exploit a public health crisis to advance an extreme, anti-abortion agenda."