Austin (AP) – A federal appeals court has partially lifted a lower-court order that largely blocked the enforcement of a Texas abortion ban during the coronavirus pandemic. By a 2-1 vote Friday, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld enforcement of an executive order by Governor Greg Abbott that included abortions among non-essential medical procedures banned during the state of emergency. However, the appeals court allowed abortions to proceed if delays would place the pregnancy beyond the 22 week state cutoff for abortions. The Center for Reproductive Rights says the ruling forces women to wait until the eleventh hour to get essential healthcare.
