A federal judge blocked a pro-life law Tuesday that would have banned almost all abortions in Arkansas, calling the law an “imminent threat” to women seeking abortions.
Judge Kristine Baker issued a preliminary injunction blocking authorities from enforcing the Arkansas Unborn Child Protection Act until she issues a final ruling, according to the Washington Post. The law was set to go into effect July 28. (RELATED: Arkansas Legislature Defies Governor, Becomes First State To Ban Trans Surgeries For Minors)
Republican Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed the bill into law in March, banning all abortions except in cases when the abortion would save the life of the mother. The law, which did not make exceptions for rape or incest, is considered one of the strictest pro-life laws in the country.
“I signed SB6 because of my sincere and long-held pro-life convictions,” Hutchinson said in a Wednesday statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The court struck down the law because it is in conflict with Roe v. Wade.”
Asa Hutchinson at the National Press Club in Washington, DC April 2, 2013. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“This legislation had the dual purpose of protecting Arkansas’s unborn and challenging long-standing Supreme Court precedent regarding abortion,” he continued. “I hope the Supreme Court will ultimately accept this case for review.”
Republicans had also written in the law’s text that “it is time for the United States Supreme Court to redress and correct the grave injustice and the crime against humanity which is being perpetuated,” positioning the bill as a challenge to Roe v. Wade.
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