AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Supreme Court is hearing arguments Tuesday from litigators on behalf of 22 women who were denied abortions and say their lives were endangered because of it.
The hearing is focusing on whether to block the state’s abortion ban, which would allow abortions to resume in cases of medical emergencies and fatal fetal diagnoses while litigation in the case continues.
The lawsuit, which was filed in March by the Center for Reproductive Rights, originally involved five women. Since then, more women have joined, bringing the total number of plaintiffs to 22. Two of them are doctors.
The lawsuit seeks both a temporary and a permanent block on Texas’ abortion law, citing uncertainty surrounding the meaning of the exceptions to the ban.
Molly Duane, an attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, says she believes it’s the first time in decades that women who were denied abortions have testified in a court about a state’s abortion ban.
A Texas district judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in August, but Attorney General Ken Paxton filed an appeal with the Texas Supreme Court that stopped that order from taking effect.
Under the law in Texas, doctors who perform abortions risk life in prison and fines of up to $100,000. Opponents say that has left some women with providers who are unwilling to discuss terminating a pregnancy.
Although Texas’ ban narrowly allows exceptions when the patient’s life is in danger, opponents say the law is so vaguely worded that doctors remain afraid to perform abortions under those circumstances.
Sixteen states, including Texas, do not allow abortions when a fatal fetal anomaly is detected, while six states do not allow exceptions for the mother’s health, according to an analysis by KFF, a health research organization.
The Associated Press and the Texas Tribune contributed to this article.