A federal judge appointed by Barack Obama dealt a huge blow to Democrats’ anti-life agenda by allowing most of a North Carolina law banning abortions after 12 weeks to take effect on Saturday.
Caitlin Connors, southern regional director for the group SBA Pro-Life America, told WRAL-TV after the decision, “Today’s ruling is a crucial win for the unborn and their mothers.”
Planned Parenthood had filed a lawsuit to block the law from taking effect, citing obscure and vague portions of the statute.
But on Friday, U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles, appointed by Obama, issued a ruling that blocked a specific provision of the law related to the required paperwork for doctors. However, she denied the request for a temporary restraining order, which sought to halt the implementation of the law during the ongoing court challenges.
According to the Charlotte Observer, in her ruling, Eagles stated that most of the concerns regarding the wording of the legislation had been addressed through the recent development of a new bill by lawmakers and its subsequent signing into law by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.
One of the issues resolved was clarifying that the law would not be interpreted as a means to penalize individuals who assist a woman in obtaining a lawful abortion in another state.
With that resolution, “the ambiguities and First Amendment issues raised by the plaintiffs are unlikely to rise to an unconstitutional level and a temporary restraining order is not necessary at this stage,” Eagles noted in her ruling.
Elsewhere, she noted that changes in the statute “are likely to moot the plaintiffs’ vagueness challenges to the provisions in the original Act directed to these matters.”
“Because the plaintiffs are no longer likely to be successful on the claims based on the original language of the Act, the motion for a temporary restraining order as to these provisions will be denied,” she added.
Prior to the new law’s adoption, North Carolina banned most abortions after 20 weeks, according to the Associated Press.
Exceptions to the 12-week ban include one of 20 weeks for cases of rape and incest and of 24 weeks for “life-limiting” fetal anomalies. The law also has an exception for medical emergencies.