A controversial Arizona state law that was set to go into effect Thursday banning abortion at 20 weeks into a woman’s pregnancy has been blocked by a panel of judges on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The polarizing law, signed by Gov. Jan Brewer, would have made it illegal for a woman to have an abortion at 20 weeks after her last menstrual period unless she is experiencing a dire and possibly life-threatening emergency. The appeal was filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union. Consideration of the appeal could take months.
