After weeks of back and forth, an appeals court ruled that Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry officially has the power to enforce the abortion ban across the state, ABC News reports.
As of Friday (July 29), abortions in Louisiana came to a halt as the court battle on the women’s right to the procedure continues.
“Once again, politics has superseded medical expertise and commonsense, said New Orleans and Baton Rouge abortion clinic spokeswoman Amy Irvin. “We remain hopeful that the court will ultimately act with compassion and empathy on behalf of women seeking abortion in Louisiana.”
Roughly 120 patients with appointments this week were notified that the ban is now reinforced leaving them with no choice but to direct people to clinics located outside of the state.
Some clinics are even looking to relocate to a state “that respects and values women’s bodily autonomy.”
Despite the decision to reinforce the ban, the facility at the center of the legal challenge is still providing help to those who need it.
“We are not providing abortions, but we are not closed, said Kathaleen Pittman, director of Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport. “We are manning the phones and trying to help people navigate care as best we can within the limits of the law as we consider our options.”
As previously reported by REVOLT, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the initial Roe v. Wade ruling has left the power of abortion rights in the hands of the state governments.
The Louisiana Department of Health revealed that 249 abortions have been reported since the historic decision, which took place in June.
Despite the changes to legislation, the state continued to allow abortions in Louisiana while the lawsuit regarding the ban continued in court. Eight days later, Landry fought to halt the procedures and won.
This is the third time that the ban has gone into effect and the law does not make exceptions for rape or incest.