Judge blocks enforcement of West Virginia abortion ban

By LEAH WILLINGHAM
Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A judge in West Virginia’s capital has blocked enforcement of the state’s 150-year-old abortion ban, opening the door for abortions to resume in the state. Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Tera L. Salango granted the Women’s Health Center of West Virginia a preliminary injunction against the 1800s-era ban. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey says his office will appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court. The Women’s Health Center suspended abortion services on the day the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling. The criminal abortion ban made performing or obtaining an abortion a felony punishable by up to a decade in prison. Clinic lawyers argued the law has been superseded by a slew of modern, conflicting laws.