New Missouri abortion law on hold

A federal judge in Missouri on Tuesday blocked a law protecting unborn infants from abortion after eight weeks of gestation while lawsuits against it go to court. The law was scheduled to take effect on Wednesday.

What does this mean for Missouri babies? The state already has some of the country’s strongest protections for unborn children and only has one operating abortion center. If the courts eventually strike down the eight-week law, the measure includes other protections for babies in utero ranging from 14 to 20 weeks. It also includes a trigger clause, which would ban all abortions except in cases of medical emergencies if the U.S. Supreme Court ever overturned its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which led to the legalization of abortion nationwide.

Dig deeper: Read my report on Planned Parenthood’s fight to keep that single abortion facility running and Samantha Gobba’s background on the lawsuit.