Feb. 3 (UPI) — The Supreme Court temporarily halted a Louisiana law that would strip the state of certain abortion providers to give itself a few more days to consider the case.
The Center for Reproductive Rights petitioned the court for an emergency stay against the law that requires doctors providing abortion services to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles.
“If this law goes into effect, most women in Louisiana will have nowhere to go in the state to access abortion and will be forced to travel to other states,” the nonprofit tweeted Thursday.
The state argued there was no need for a stay because the law would be implemented gradually.
Justice Samuel Alito issued the stay through Feb. 7.
Alito said the court needed more time to consider the law, but noted the stay doesn’t reflect the justices’ views on the merits of the law one way or another.
The law has been on the books since 2014, but hasn’t taken effect due to lower court injunctions.
In September, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the law, saying it was not a burden on women and would not likely result in closing clinics.
The law was due to take effect Monday.
