Travis County District Judge Jessica Mangrum recently issued a temporary injunctive order, obstructing the enforcement of a Texas abortion ban for individuals experiencing pregnancy complications. Despite this, the Texas state attorney general’s office swiftly appealed the order to the Texas State Supreme Court. This action places the ban back into full effect until the State Supreme Court makes their ruling on the order.
The injunctive order prevents Texas’ abortion bans from being enforced in ways that would restrict access to necessary abortion care for patients with emergent medical conditions or impose liability on physicians for providing such care. The enforcement of any measures inconsistent with the rights of pregnant individuals and physicians under the Texas Constitution is also prohibited by this order.
In response to the order, the state attorney general’s office filed a Notice of Accelerated Interlocutory Appeal directly to the Texas Supreme Court. This filing automatically stayed the injunctive order pending the supreme court’s ruling. Assistant Attorney General John Stone quoted Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 51.014(b) in the filing, effectively halting all lower court procedures until the appeal has been decided.
The lead plaintiff, Amanda Zurawski, and several others who were pregnant at the time, initially sued the state of Texas to block the abortion ban in March. This lawsuit came as Texas is among numerous states enacting abortion bans following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade with Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
Recent data released by Care Post-Roe reveals that such stringent abortion bans are causing physicians in these states to be unable to cater to patient needs, leading to negative health outcomes for pregnant women.