A Federal Judge Has Paused the Texas Law That Bans Most Abortions

SB8—the Texas law that bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detectable, about six weeks after conception—has been put on pause by a federal judge, according to The New York Times. 

On Wednesday, October 6, Robert L. Pitman, a Federal District Court judge in Austin, sided with the Department of Justice’s request for a temporary hold on enforcement of the law. 

“From the moment SB8 went into effect, women have been unlawfully prevented from exercising control over their own lives in ways that are protected by the Constitution,” Pitman wrote in his 113-page ruling, the Times reports. “This court will not sanction one more day of this offensive deprivation of such an important right.”

U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland called the ruling a “victory” for women in Texas. “It is the foremost responsibility of the Department of Justice to defend the Constitution,” he said in a statement. “We will continue to protect constitutional rights against all who would seek to undermine them.”

While this is a step forward for women and abortion providers in Texas, it does not bring total relief: The state of Texas has already notified the court that it will appeal Pitman’s ruling. “While this fight is far from over, we are hopeful that the court’s order blocking SB8 will allow Texas abortion providers to resume services as soon as possible,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, in a statement to CBS News.

To learn more about SB8—and what this means for women in the state of Texas—head here. We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.