Two new abortion laws in Louisiana have now been put on a temporary restraining order, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights, who represented six clinics challenging the restrictions in court.  The new regulations, one of which would require every woman seeking an abortion to have an ultrasound and be offered a printed picture of her fetus, the second which would restrict abortions from being covered under malpractice insurance, were part of a package of abortion regulations passed by the state legislature this year.

From a Center for Reproductive Rights press release:

Today, the Center for Reproductive Rights has been granted a temporary restraining order in the federal challenge we recently filed against two abortion restrictions passed by the Louisiana state legislature.

The temporary restraining order will remain in effect for 14 days or until the court reaches a decision on the Plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction. The Plaintiffs have been ordered to submit a brief of their motion for preliminary injunction by August 17, with a hearing to follow.

The Center filed the federal challenge last Friday against the two Louisiana abortion restrictions. One measure would have excluded doctors who perform abortion services from participating in a medical malpractice fund administered by the state, despite that fact that coverage is provided to all other medical professionals. The other measure would have required women at all stages of pregnancy in the state to receive an ultrasound and a photograph of the ultrasound image, even if the woman is a rape or incest victim or diagnosed with a fetal abnormality. The temporary restraining order enjoins certain provisions of the ultrasound statute.