Abortions Resume in Texas Ahead of Total Ban

A sign reading "Mind Your Own Uterus" is taped on the check-in window at the Hope Medical
FRANCOIS PICARD/AFP via Getty Images

HOUSTON, Texas — A Texas district court judge in Houston issued a verbal order allowing abortions to resume in some clinics across the state. The judge will issue a written order later on Tuesday.

281st District Court Judge Christine Weems handed down a verbal order from the bench stating that abortion clinics that are listed in the lawsuit may once again perform abortions, the Austin American Statesman reported. The news outlet reported the hearing was scheduled to be live-streamed but a staffer said the judge decided not to have it broadcast. The court advised that a written order would follow later on Tuesday.

The attorney for Texas Alliance for Life, Paul Linton, told the Texas Tribune he expects Weems’ decision to be overturned by a higher court. He argued that the laws that are still on the books pre-dating the Roe v. Wade SCOTUS ruling in 1973 should still be in force.

“I don’t think it has any merit,” Linton told the Tribune. “I don’t think there’s any plausible argument that the laws have been expressly repealed, and the repeal-by-implication argument, I think, is very weak.”

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.