Justice department urges judge to halt Texas abortion law

By PAUL J. WEBER
Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge is deciding whether to block the nation’s most restrictive abortion law, which has banned most abortions in Texas since early September and sent women racing hundreds of miles to get care outside the state. The Biden administration on Friday urged U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman to side with the federal government, saying Texas has waged an attack on women’s constitutional rights. But even if the law is put on hold, abortion services in the second-most populous state may not instantly resume because doctors still fear that they could be sued without a more permanent legal decision. Pitman did not say when he will rule. The law effectively bans abortion before some women know they are pregnant, and there are no exceptions in cases of rape or incest.