HIT THE BRAKES

Judges in Two More States Temporarily Block Abortion Bans

The bans in Wyoming and North Dakota were meant to go into effect this week.

On Wednesday, judges in Wyoming and North Dakota temporarily blocked the states’ abortion bans, set to go into effect Wednesday and Thursday respectively, the Associated Press reported. The lawsuits argued that the bans, both of which include exceptions for rape, incest, and protecting the life of the mother, violate the states’ constitutions. Under the Wyoming law, doctors or other personnel who provide illegal abortions could spend up to 14 years in jail. Judges have also momentarily halted bans in Louisiana, Kentucky, and Utah. Meanwhile, West Virginia lawmakers plowed ahead with their own abortion ban, which includes an exception for rape or incest up to 14 weeks and makes performing an abortion punishable by up to 10 years in prison. House Republicans passed the bill even as protesters flooded the capital, their chants infiltrating the chamber walls.