A federal appeals court in Atlanta ruled on Wednesday against an Alabama law that would have banned a procedure known as dilation and evacuation (D&E) abortion, the Associated Press reports.
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the 2016 law banning the procedure, which is the most common method of second-trimester abortion. Banning D&E abortion would effectively ban abortion in the state after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Shortly after its passage, the law was challenged by the West Alabama Women’s Center and Alabama Women’s Center, the only abortion clinics in the state that perform the procedure, according to Reuters. The American Civil Liberties Union represented the clinics.
In a tweet on Wednesday, the ACLU called the procedure “extremely safe,” and vowed to keep fighting for women’s health.
BREAKING: A federal court just struck down an Alabama law that banned an extremely safe form of abortion.
Our fight continues to ensure that women’s health — not ideological politics — guides important medical decisions about pregnancy.
— ACLU (@ACLU) August 22, 2018
Similar laws have been blocked in five other states, including Texas and Arkansas.
