The White House has said that “the fight has only just begun” after a federal judge temporarily blocked the most restrictive abortion law in US history on Wednesday, following a challenge from president Joe Biden’s administration.
The law which has been in effect since 1 September in Texas, has spurred protests across America with women taking to the streets demanding reproductive rights. The order by US district judge Robert Pitman is the first legal blow to the Texas law, known as Senate Bill 8 (S.B.8).
In its statement, the White House said: “S.B. 8 not only blatantly violates the right to safe and legal abortion established under Roe v. Wade, but it creates a scheme to allow private citizens to interfere with that right and to evade judicial review.”
“The fight has only just begun, both in Texas and in many states across this country where women’s rights are currently under attack,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
The law, signed by Republican governor Greg Abbott in May, prohibits abortions once cardiac activity is detected, usually around six weeks, before some women even know they are pregnant.
“That’s why the President supports codifying Roe v Wade, why he has directed a whole-of-government response to S.B. 8, and why he will continue to stand side-by-side with women across the country to protect their constitutional rights,” Ms Psaki added.
In his 113-page opinion, Judge Pitman called the law an “offensive deprivation” of a constitutional right.
But even with the law on hold, abortion services in Texas may not instantly resume because doctors still fear that they could be sued without a more permanent legal decision, reported agencies.
The lawsuit was brought by the Biden administration, which has said the restrictions were enacted in defiance of the US Constitution.
(With additional reporting by agencies)
