Judge Donald Johnson issued a temporary restraining order against the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) and set a hearing in the case for July 18. CRR, along with Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, last month challenged the state’s abortion ban that was designed to take effect immediately after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that guaranteed the right to abortion at the national level. Both organizations requested emergency relief to allow medical providers in the state to continue providing abortions and allow patients to continue to access the procedure. A judge initially temporarily blocked enforcement of the ban, but that order was lifted when the case was transferred to another court. Tuesday’s ruling reinstates a temporary restraining order. Louisiana is one of several states that enacted enabling laws that either banned or severely limited abortion care in their states after the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization last month, which struck down the constitutional right to abortion. Some of these laws are also being challenged in court. In a statement Wednesday, CRR senior staff attorney Jenny Ma said it’s an “incredible relief” that people can access abortion care in the state. Justice Department creates new reproductive rights task force Groups launch ad telling Biden to say ‘hell no’ to anti-abortion judicial options “This is an incredible relief for people who need abortion care right now in Louisiana. Abortion care in the state can resume today and further irreparable harm has been avoided. Our work continues and we now look forward to our hearing on Monday where we will ask the judge to permanently block the bans,” Ma said in a statement. “Every hour and every day that a clinic can still provide abortion care fundamentally changes people’s lives for the better.” President Biden signed an executive order last week aimed at protecting access to abortion and contraception, but acknowledged that it is up to Congress to pass legislation that addresses the issue in the most meaningful way. House Democrats also plan to pass two bills that address the issue of protecting abortion rights, including an updated version of the Women’s Health Protection Act, a bill that would codify abortion rights into law and expand the protection of Roe.
