US District Court Judge Ralph Tyson of Baton Rogue has issued a temporary restraining order on enforcement of a new Louisiana law that requires women to undergo an ultrasound prior to receiving an abortion procedure. The law was scheduled to take affect Sunday, according to Independent Weekly. The hold will remain in effect until August 24th, according to NPR. The Center for Reproductive Rights and six Louisiana abortion clinics filed a lawsuit challenging the law last week, arguing that the ultrasound requirement is “unconstitutionally vague” because it does not define whether a doctor must force the patient to view the ultrasound or to accept printed copies, according to the Independent Weekly. Judge Tyson ruled that state officials must respond to this complaint by Tuesday. Stephanie Toti, a staff attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, told 2theadvocate, “The government cannot single out abortion providers and the women who seek their services simply because some politicians don’t approve. It’s completely unfair, and, more importantly, it violates the US Constitution.”
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