U.S. District Court Judge Catherine Eagles, in an order issued Saturday, blocked two provisions of North Carolina’s new abortion law from taking effect Sunday while a lawsuit continues.
The federal judge’s order paused enforcement of two portions of the law with respect to abortion pills and clinic procedures, according to the Associated Press. These specify doctors cannot prescribe abortion pills during the early stages of pregnancy and mandate that abortions after 12 weeks — such as in cases of rape or incest — must occur in hospitals rather than abortion clinics.
“Providers cannot know if medical abortion is authorized at any point through the twelfth week, as the statute explicitly says, or if the procedure is implicitly banned early in pregnancy,” Eagles said, per the Associated Press.
Judge blocks 2 provisions in North Carolina’s new abortion law; 12-week near-ban remains in place https://t.co/VFWKOo8eax
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 1, 2023
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and Dr. Beverly Gray, an OB/GYN associated with Duke University, had initiated legal action seeking to prevent the entire law from being implemented. Judge Eagles, permitted the majority of the law to take effect July 1, though the specific concerns surrounding abortion pill prescription restrictions and limitations on clinic-based abortions remained outstanding. (RELATED: Texas AG Sues Tech Giant Over Its ‘Misleading’ Warning Labels For Crisis Pregnancy Centers)
“We will always fight for every inch of ground so that as many people as possible can get the health care they need in North Carolina,” Planned Parenthood South Atlantic’s president and CEO Jenny Black said in a statement. “The court’s decision recognizes that abortion is health care and that there is no medical reason to deny even more patients access to this safe, compassionate, evidence-based care.”