US Judge Blocks Mississippi’s 6-Week Abortion Ban

Washington: A US federal judge has blocked a Mississippi law that banned abortion after six weeks of pregnancy — before many women know they’re pregnant. Judge Carlton Reeves, a Barack Obama appointee, ruled on Friday that the law “threatens immediate harm to women’s rights, especially considering most women do not seek abortion services until after 6 weeks”. “This injury outweighs any interest the state might have in banning abortions after the detection of a foetal heartbeat,” he said. The law was set to go into effect on July 1.

Reeves had reportedly expressed anger and frustration during a court hearing on the law earlier this week. He was upset over the rule not including exemptions for rape or incest. The judge pointed out that he struck down a 15-week ban on abortion just six months ago, saying the state legislature’s even stricter law “smacks of defiance”, the Washington Post reported. (IANS)

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