Jackson, MS-- No matter where you live, abortion is probably one of the most debated issues of most generations' life time.
A federal judge has temporarily blocked enforcement of a Mississippi law that could shut down the only abortion clinic in the state.
U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan in Jackson issued a temporary restraining order Sunday, hours after the new law took effect.
He set a July 11 hearing to determine whether to block the law for a longer time.
The law requires everyone who performs abortion at the clinic to be an OB-GYN with privileges to admit patients to a local hospital.
The clinic, Jackson Women's Health Organization, filed a lawsuit seeking to block it. The suit says the admitting privilege requirement is not medically necessary and is designed to put the clinic out of business.
Republican Gov. Phil Bryant has said he wants Mississippi to be abortion-free.
Critics say the law would force women to drive hours across the state line to obtain a constitutionally protected procedure, or could even force some to carry unwanted pregnancies to term.
Republican Gov. Phil Bryant and other top officials say limiting the number of abortions is exactly what they want.
The law says anyone performing abortions at the clinic must be an OB-GYN with privileges to admit patients to a local hospital. The clinic contends the admitting privileges requirement is designed to force it out of business.
AP/USA Today