JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A federal judge is temporarily blocking a Mississippi law that would ban most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected.
U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves on Friday issued an order to stop the law from taking effect July 1.
He heard arguments Tuesday from attorneys for the state's only abortion clinic, who said the law would effectively eliminate all abortions in the state because cardiac activity is often first detectable around six weeks, when many women may not know they are pregnant.
Mississippi is one of several states that have pushed to enact bans on early abortions this year. Abortion opponents are emboldened by new conservative Supreme Court justices and are looking for ways to challenge the court's 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.
What other people are reading right now:
- Man with drugs in his butt accidentally shoots himself in testicles, deputies say
- 'A horrible, tragic accident': 4-year-old dies in hot car in South Carolina
- Memorial Day celebrations, margarita and food festivals: 10 things to do this weekend in Tampa Bay
- A 102-year-old woman is being evicted to make way for a law school grad
- Woman calling for more pet food regulation after her dog died
►Have a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.