Court battles over abortion continue to play out in multiple states in the aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling reversing abortion rights.
A judge in West Virginia on Monday blocked enforcement of that state's 150-year-old abortion ban. Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Tera L. Salango granted the Women’s Health Center of West Virginia a preliminary injunction against the 1800s-era ban, saying that in the absence of action by the court, the clinic and its patients, “especially those who are impregnated as a result of a rape or incest, are suffering irreparable harm.”
Meanwhile, a ruling on Monday from the U.S. Supreme Court moved the state of Indiana closer to being able to enforce a parental notification law involving girls who get abortions before they turn 18.
In Louisiana, a judge is keeping in effect, for now, a ruling that keeps that state's authorities from enforcing a ban on most abortions. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said he anticipates that the case will ultimately end up before the Louisiana Supreme Court.
“We believe that ultimately we will prevail and the rule of law will be upheld,” Landry said during a news conference, that was mostly drowned out by the chants of nearby protesters following Monday’s court hearing. “Those people who don’t like it have two choices — they can try to change the law, but if they find themselves in the minority of ideas, then they can pack their bags and go somewhere else.”
