The U.S. Supreme Court said Wednesday night it would not block Texas’ extreme new law that criminalizes abortion after six weeks, a striking defeat for abortion rights advocates who say the ban is a direct assault on Roe v. Wade.
The ruling was 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts siding with the court’s three liberal members.
The majority issued a brief decision saying that, although women’s health groups had raised “serious questions about the constitutionality” of the law, the application failed to “carry the burden” necessary for an injunction while any legal challenges work their way through the courts.
