Judge rules against Louisiana trigger law banning abortion

July 21 (UPI) -- A Louisiana judge on Thursday ruled against a state trigger law that would have banned nearly all abortions in the wake of the overturning of Roe vs. Wade.

Baton Rouge-area Judge Don Johnson said Louisiana's trigger laws are too vague to be enforceable, siding with abortion rights groups that sued over the bans, The Advocate reported.

The Center for Reproductive Rights, which brought the lawsuit challenging the trigger law, welcomed Johnson's ruling Thursday.

"Today's decision will allow so many people in Louisiana and neighboring states to continue to chart their own lives and futures," CRR senior staff attorney Jenny Ma said.

"Patients have been terrified that any day these bans might take effect again and they'll be left with no options. But this ruling means doctors can provide healthcare that is best for their patients, and not be subject to laws that are so ambiguous that they don't know how they can do their jobs. While today's decision is not the final ruling, it is a huge victory in preserving access to essential healthcare in Louisiana and for those in the region."

WBRZ-TV in Baton Rouge reported that the ruling will allow the state's abortion clinics to continue operating while the case continues to play out in the courts.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said he expects the case to be heard in the state Supreme Court.

"We look forward to ending this legal circus by getting the case to the state's Supreme Court as soon as possible -- especially, as Justice Crain recently noted, terminating alleged life during the period of a restraining order is irreparable harm," he said.

Louisiana was one of several states with trigger laws on the books that went into effect when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 landmark abortion ruling Roe vs. Wade on June 24.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards signed legislation days before the Supreme Court ruling -- on June 21 -- to impose one of the country's most restrictive abortion laws if Roe vs. Wade was overturned. The law bans all abortions including those in cases of rape and incest, except when the mother's life is in danger.