Judge halts Mississippi law protecting the unborn after 15 weeks

U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves on Tuesday issued a temporary restraining order against a new Mississippi law protecting the lives of the unborn after 15 weeks gestation. An abortionist at Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the state’s only abortion center in Jackson, Miss., filed suit late Monday after Gov. Phil Bryant signed the bill into law, which took effect immediately. Abortionist Sacheen Carr-Ellis claimed in court filings a woman more than 15 weeks pregnant had an appointment to end her baby’s life Tuesday afternoon, necessitating the judge’s immediate intervention. Pro-life activists who advocated for the law expected it to face a swift court challenge, hoping it eventually will change current U.S. Supreme Court precedent on abortion regulation, which broadly sets a 20-week limit on protecting babies’ lives.