La. abortion ban allowed to proceed after judge lifts restraining order

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Louisiana can now enforce its ban on almost all abortions under a judge’s order issued Friday amid a flurry of court challenges to state “trigger” laws crafted to take effect when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Days after the Supreme Court decision, Louisiana state District Judge Robin Giarrusso issued a temporary restraining order banning enforcement of the state legislation in response to a lawsuit filed by a north Louisiana abortion clinic and others.

State District Judge Ethel Julien lifted that order following a hearing on the lawsuit Friday during which she said the lawsuit should have been filed in the capital, Baton Rouge.

About 60 protesters gathered outside the courthouse Friday waving signs that read, “Abortion is healthcare” and “Do you want women to die?” The demonstrators, who want to keep the state’s three abortion clinics open, criticized Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, who has been a staunch defender of efforts to outlaw abortion across the state.

Police barricades were placed outside the courthouse preemptively.

More: Courthouse prepares for protests ahead of a hearing on Louisiana’s abortion laws

Louisiana has three different trigger laws, all of which would ban abortion entirely.

The Center for Reproductive Rights, which filed the lawsuit, says it’s impossible to tell whether the trigger laws are in effect and if so, which one.

Pro-life groups and the state’s attorney general argue there are no discrepancies and that the law is clear.

Less than 30 minutes before the hearing began, President Joe Biden took executive action to protect access to abortion, condemning the “extreme” Supreme Court majority that ultimately ended the constitutional right to abortion.

The actions Biden outlined are intended to mitigate some potential penalties that women seeking abortion may face after the ruling, but his order cannot restore access to abortion in the more than a dozen states where strict limits or total bans have gone into effect. About a dozen more states are set to impose additional restrictions.

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