“Governors who ban abortion on the false premise that it is non-essential put women’s lives at risk—& ignore plain fact & law. Doctors, not politicians, determine essential medicine. https://t.co/Sl6lJVKdsW”
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Ohio, Iowa, Mississippi, Alabama and Oklahoma are among the other states that recently moved to suspend access.
www.politico.com
Federal judges on Monday lifted restrictions Texas and Ohio imposed on abortion during the coronavirus pandemic in decisions that could have repercussions for several more Republican-led states that have deemed the procedure non-essential during the crisis.
In Texas, District Court Judge Lee Yeakel sided with abortion clinics and granted a temporary restraining order through April 13 while arguments on the underlying legality of the state's order play out.
In Ohio, District Court Judge Michael Barrett similarly sided with Planned Parenthood and other groups challenging the state's ban and issued a two-week temporary restraining order.
Iowa, Mississippi, Alabama and Oklahoma are among the other states that recently moved to suspend access to the procedure as the pandemic intensified, arguing it would preserve desperately needed medical supplies. Texas' order was one of the strictest, threatening a $1,000 fine or 180 days of jail time on abortion providers who violated the ban.
Yeakel agreed with Texas clinics who argued that women who need an abortion can't live with a weeks- or possibly months-long delay. Clinic operators told reporters Monday that they've already had to cancel hundreds of appointments since the ban took effect last week.