A judge in Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston, has granted abortion rights groups a temporary restraining order blocking the enforcement of the state's trigger law banning abortions in the state.
The judge's Tuesday order will remain in effect until a hearing on July 12, but is likely to be challenged soon by the state, according to KHOU-TV.
The television news noted that several states, including Texas, have abortion laws set to go into effect with the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
"On Friday, within hours of the Supreme Court's decision, the Texas attorney general put out an advisory stating that the state's trigger ban, which bans abortion almost entirely, will not take effect for approximately two months or longer," said the American Civil Liberties Union in a statement. "But in that same advisory issued on Friday, the attorney general said that 'abortion providers could be criminally liable for providing abortions starting today' based on the state's 'abortion prohibitions predating Roe.' "
And in a tweet, the Texas ACLU said: "Attorney General [Ken] Paxton wants to stop all abortion and is threatening unlawful prosecutions of abortion providers under an antiquated pre-Roe law. We won't let him without a fight."
On Monday the Texas ACLU tweeted: "No one should be forced to carry a pregnancy against their will or travel across state lines for abortion care. Everyone should be able to access abortion, no matter where they live. We'll keep fighting in Texas — and everywhere — to protect our rights, health, and dignity."
Meanwhile, Paxton in a Monday tweet posted before the judge granted the temporary restraining order, said: "The pro-abortion left is — as expected — now suing me and the state of Texas to block our state's pro-life laws. I anticipated this and am ready. They will lose. Texas laws defending the unborn will win."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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