A controversial Indiana law that would have banned abortions that were being sought out because of fetal genetic abnormalities was blocked by a federal judge on Thursday, The Associated Press reported.
The Indiana legislation was set to take effect on Friday and also would have required that the aborted fetuses be cremated or buried. When the bill was passed last March by Gov. Mike Pence, a wave of dissent followed quickly, with women organizing to call the governor’s office and inform him about the status of their periods.
In April, the legislation was challenged in a lawsuit by Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana. Today, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Walton Pratt granted a preliminary injunction to the plaintiffs, which will stop the law from going into effect, arguing that the measure "was unconstitutional and violated women's privacy rights."
North Dakota is the only other state with laws that ban abortions sought due to fetal genetic abnormalities.
It comes less than a week after the Supreme Court struck down Texas' sweeping abortion clinic regulations, in a major victory for supporters of reproductive rights.