London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 03, 2026

Louisiana judge temporarily blocks ‘trigger’ abortion ban

Louisiana judge temporarily blocks ‘trigger’ abortion ban

Louisiana is one of 13 US states where ‘trigger laws’ ban or severely restrict abortion after Roe v Wade overturned.

A Louisiana judge has temporarily blocked the southern US state from enforcing laws banning abortion that were set to take effect after the United States Supreme Court overturned its landmark Roe v Wade abortion decision last week.

Louisiana is one of 13 states with “trigger laws” designed to ban or severely restrict abortions once Roe, which recognised a right to the procedure nationwide, was overturned.

On Monday, Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Robin Giarrusso issued a temporary restraining order blocking Louisiana from carrying out its ban shortly after Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport, one of Louisiana’s three abortion clinics, sued.

“Abortion care is resuming in Louisiana,” the Center for Reproductive Rights, which filed the lawsuit on the clinic’s behalf, said after Giarrusso’s order. The judge set a July 8 hearing to decide whether to further block enforcement of the ban.

In filings in a state court, Hope Medical Group for Women said it was not disputing the state’s ability to restrict abortion after Friday’s Supreme Court decision.

It argued that Louisiana was not free to do so in a manner that violated its due process rights and that the state’s trigger bans “lack constitutionally required safeguards to prevent arbitrary enforcement”.

“Seeking reproductive care is already difficult in the US, and especially in Louisiana. Now, as state governments are trying to ban abortion throughout the country, including in Louisiana, my heart is with our patients whose entire lives and future may change based on the next few days,” said Kathaleen Pittman, administrator at Hope Medical Group for Women.

“We are committed to this monumental legal challenge – not to perpetuate an endless political battle, but to ensure our patients’ wellbeing and so that they may draw strength from our dedication to this fight,” she said in a statement.


The fall of Roe v Wade has shifted the battleground over abortion to courthouses around the country, as anti-abortion groups looked to quickly enact statewide bans and reproductive rights advocates sought to buy more time.

On Monday, abortion rights advocates asked a Florida judge to block a new state law that bans abortions after 15 weeks and is set to take effect this week. “This attempt to stop people from accessing essential care is blatantly unconstitutional under Florida’s state constitution,” the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said on Twitter.

The ACLU of Arizona and an abortion-rights group filed an emergency motion on Saturday seeking to block a 2021 law that they worry can be used to halt all abortions. The Planned Parenthood Association of Utah has already challenged a trigger law with narrow exceptions.

Other cases also could be filed as states try to sort out whether abortion bans in place before Roe was decided — sometimes referred to as “zombie laws” — apply now that there is no federal protection for abortion.

For instance, Wisconsin passed a law in 1849 banning abortions except to save the life of the mother. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, said he does not believe it is enforceable. The group Pro-Life Wisconsin and other abortion opponents have called on lawmakers to impose a new ban.




In the meantime, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin said it immediately suspended all abortions, though the district attorneys in the counties that include Madison and Milwaukee have both suggested that they would not enforce the ban.

Back in Louisiana, the state’s Republican attorney general, Jeff Landry, did not respond to requests for comment from the Reuters news agency.

Landry took to Twitter on Friday to say bans with “trigger” provisions passed in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s ruling were immediately in effect. The only three clinics providing abortions in the state closed that day.

“My office and I will do everything in our power to ensure the laws of Louisiana that have been passed to protect the unborn are enforceable, even if we have to go back to court,” he tweeted.

Days before Roe was overturned, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, an anti-abortion Democrat, signed a measure into law that supporters said would clarify and eliminate any conflicts in anti-abortion laws already in state statutes.

The sweeping bill includes prison terms of up to 10 years for any doctor who performs an abortion.

But Hope Medical Group for Women argued the state’s laws make it impossible to tell when they are in effect, if one or all of them collectively are in force, and what exact conduct is prohibited, such as if exceptions exist to save a pregnant woman’s life.

That vagueness has resulted in state and local officials issuing conflicting statements about whether the trigger bans are in effect, the lawsuit in Orleans Civil District Court contended.

“People who need an abortion right now are in a state of panic,” Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement before the judge’s temporarily restraining order was issued.

“We will be fighting to restore access in Louisiana and other states for as long as we can. Every day that a clinic is open and providing abortion services can make a difference in a person’s life.”



Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Cuba’s Grid Fails Again as Fuel Crisis Deepens
Nazca Lines Flight Crash Kills Thirteen as Peru Suspends Aerodiana
Modern Slavery Decisions Broaden the Al Fayed Inquiry’s Frame
FIFA’s Retreat Leaves a Larger Question Over Who Guards the Game
Two Firefighting Crew Members Die in Helicopter Collision West of Athens
Triple Lock Lifts UK State Pension but Leaves a Wider Retirement Gap
Danube Drought Forces Hungary’s Paks Nuclear Plant Into Full Shutdown
Ceuta Death Toll Rises as Spain and Europe Clash Over Border Response
Ceuta Border Surge Recasts Europe’s Migration Debate
Burnham Promises a Harder Channel Response as Crossings Test His New Government
Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games End With Organisers Defending Smaller Format as Sustainable Model
Reform UK Faces Labour Criticism Over Nigel Farage Leadership Return Discussions
Environment Agency Restricts River Thames Navigation as Low Water Levels Raise Concerns
UK Government Launches Free Bus Travel Scheme for Children During Summer Holidays
Chancellor Rachel Reeves Confirms October Budget Date and Plans Wider Regional Funding Shift
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Promises Tougher Action on Small Boat Crossings Amid European Migration Pressure
UK Economic Growth Forecast Raised Slightly as Inflation Expected to Remain Above Target Until 2029
National Farmers Union Warns of Food Shortage Risks as Drought and Heatwaves Damage UK Crops
Finland Deploys Commercial-Scale Thermal Batteries Using Crushed Rock to Store Renewable Grid Energy
Valued at $109 Million: F-35B Fighter Jet Crashes in Southern California
Sainsbury Agrees to Sell Argos in £120 Million Deal to Private Consortium
High Court Clears Way for Construction of Chinese Embassy at Royal Mint Court
UK Fuel Prices Climb to Multi-Month Highs as Strait of Hormuz Tensions Disrupt Oil Supplies
Severe Summer Drought and Record Heat Put UK Harvests at Risk
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Faces Labour Backbench Opposition Over Potential Support for New North Sea Oil and Gas Drilling
Bank of England Warns Inflation Will Stay Above 3% as Middle East Energy Shock Prolongs Cost-of-Living Pressures
Andy Burnham has Announces Plans to Redistribute Income Tax Revenue to English Mayors
Early-Release Scheme Faces Fresh Scrutiny as Reoffending and Prison Recalls Rise
Police Phone Checks Followed Report on Murder of MI5 Agent Inside Sinn Féin
Archbishop of Canterbury Reaffirms £100 Million Reparative Justice Fund During Ghana Visit
Charities Allege French Police Used Tear Gas Against Channel Migrants
Norwegian Teenager Convicted Over Iran-Linked Murder Plot in Britain
Christian Organisations File Charity Complaints Against Amnesty International UK
Ofgem Tightens Grid Connection Rules for New Data Centres
FTSE 100 Reaches Record High Despite Global Technology Sell-Off
Millions of UK Households Urged to Check Eligibility for Winter Energy Discount
Labour Restores Parliamentary Whips to Diane Abbott and Joani Reid
UK Supreme Court to Hear Challenge Over Palestine Action Ban
UK Commits More Than £8.4 Billion to Dreadnought Nuclear Submarine Programme
England Declares Severe Drought as Wildfire Burns Near Sizewell Nuclear Site
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 3.75% as Middle East Tensions Fuel Inflation Risks
Drought Status Extended Across All of Wales as Heat and Dry Weather Deepen Environmental Strain
Record-Low Danube Exposes Probable Mammoth Remains in Bulgaria
UK Business Confidence Climbs to Four-Month High
Greater Manchester Gains Expanded Powers Under Regional Funding Reforms
UK Supreme Court to Hear Appeal Over Palestine Action Terror Ban
Shell's Quarterly Profit Doubles to Nearly $10 Billion on Higher Energy Prices
UK Government Removes VAT From Household Electricity Bills
Exceptional Drought Grips Half of England as Wildfire Threatens Sizewell
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 3.75% as Inflation Risks Persist
×