(CNN)On Wednesday, a U.S. District Court judge in North Carolina bannedNorth Carolina lawreinstatement of abortion after 20 weeks of gestation and lifted the injunction he imposed on state law prior to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.
In 2019, District Court Judge William Osteen stayed enforcement of the law and declared the ban unconstitutional based on Supreme Court precedent. His decision was upheld by the Court of Appeals in 2021.
But in a Wednesday order, Osteen wrote: abortion.
He also disagreed with the parties to the lawsuit that lifting the injunction would be confusing, instead stating that "leaving the injunction in place would be misleading as to Dobbs' impact."
"Neither this court, nor the public, nor attorneys, nor providers have the right to ignore the rule of law decided by the Supreme Court," he said. added.
Abortion rights advocates called Osteen's ruling "a flagrant violation by the court."
"Despite the fact that this law has long been duly blocked, the court reopened the case in a sudden move that was clearly opposed by all parties. North Carolina and The Supreme Court's decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision, which disrupts the abortion access situation only in its periphery, exacerbates the turmoil and crisis occurring across the country. 26}
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Wednesday, "The key issue with this ruling is that it criminalizes critical medical care needed in certain extraordinary circumstances." }
“Abortions past the 20th week of gestation are extremely rare and occur due to catastrophic health emergencies or diagnoses. "It is fundamentally wrong to do so, even if it is rare, and we cannot allow it. Politicians are misleading people about the real-world impact of this harmful law." he said in a statement.
He added, "North Carolina will continue to have access to reproductive health care for the majority of patients, and I will remain committed to protecting it." } A North Carolina doctor and Planned Parenthood company South Atlantic first filed a lawsuit in 2016.
North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore "Our Attorney General failed to do his duty, but we are encouraged that today we made a ruling that upholds the law," Republicans said in a statement Wednesday. With the case overturned by the Supreme Court, there was no longer a legal basis for the injunction and the people's decision on abortion policy was restored by representatives elected by the General Assembly," said Tami Anti-Abortion Group North Carolina Values. Coalition President Fitzgerald said in a statement:
Fitzgerald called the revival of the law "just the beginning" and said the NC Values Coalition would "work hard to pass legislation" that would further limit the process.
