Texas judge rules against pro-life law

Protections for unborn babies in Texas remained in place on Monday after the state appealed an Austin judge’s ruling that temporarily suspended them. Texas law automatically stays a lower court’s decision if an appeal meets certain conditions. The state’s appeal on Friday came just hours after the judge ruled against the Texas heartbeat law, which has saved many unborn babies from abortion in the state since last year.

Why did the judge suspend the law? The judge argued the law lacked sufficient clarity for doctors and other practitioners about which medical emergencies warrant an exception to the abortion law. The judge’s ruling would have shielded doctors from prosecution if they permitted abortions for babies they determined could not survive after birth. A trial has been scheduled for early next year to clarify what qualifies as a medical emergency.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about how the Texas law protecting unborn babies saved lives in the state.