US District Judge Myron Thompson has issued a temporary restraining order against Alabama’s ban on dismemberment abortions and its requirement that abortion facilities be at least 2,000 feet away from K-8 public schools.
The laws were originally to go into effect in August, but now must wait for a second hearing on October 4. Even if upheld, the laws still will not take effect for another three weeks after that date.
As Live Action News has covered, the law is intended to spare children the experience of witnessing protests and conflicts outside abortion centers, as well as keep them away from the inhumane practice of abortion. But the ACLU sued for a temporary restraining order.
The dilation and evacuation procedure, known as dismemberment abortion because it tears apart a preborn child limb from torso, is the most prevalent procedure in the second trimester. Former abortionist Dr. Anthony Levatino describes dismemberment abortions in greater detail as part of Live Action News’s Abortion Procedures project in the following video:
Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange has responded to the move by declaring, “I intend to vigorously defend the constitutionality of these important laws in federal court at the October hearing.”
Thompson’s past rulings on abortion cases include opposing Alabama’s right to defund Planned Parenthood and require admitting privileges of abortionists, suggesting that his final decision here will be to invalidate these laws.