U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan temporarily blocked a Mississippi law that threatened to end the practice of abortion in the state.
The law was originally passed on July 1 and not only required that abortion providers be certified obstetricians/gynecologists (OB-GYN), but that they must also have privileges at local hospitals.
Jordan’s extension of a previous order to block the law comes as a relief to the Jackson Women’s Health Organization. As the sole abortion provider in the state, the organization has come to the aid of around 2,000 women within the last year. But only one of its doctors is authorized to practice at a local hospital, meaning that under the new law no other staff member could legally provide abortion services.
The idea of no longer giving abortion services has appalled the organization’s staff members, including owner Diane Derzis.
“We’ve been able to be with women at a time in their lives when they are in crisis, when they need to have something done and need that support,” said Derzis. “That’s why it has to be available. It has to be.”
Jordan halted the law’s implementation to review the state Board of Health’s assessment of how the law would be enforced as well as its potential effects.
“The issue for today is whether or not there is irreparable harm to your clients right now, and that harm could change with the facts,” Jordan said at the hearing. “Today it could be the chilling effect. Three months from now it could be, ‘We didn’t get admitted, therefore we have to close.'”
The staff of Jackson Women’s Health and their supporters see the law as a means to end abortion in the state of Mississippi. Lawmakers behind the bill, however, claim that its only goal is to ensure women’s health and safety.