Most abortions are banned again in Texas after an appeals court ruling.

It didn’t last long. Just 48 hours after a district judge suspended Texas law that bans abortions after heart activity was detected, a federal appeals court stepped in and allowed the state to uphold the ban the most restrictive in the country on this practice. In a brief order issued Friday night, the 5th U.S. Court of Appeals restored the law that means most abortions after about six weeks are again banned in Texas, with no exceptions for rape or incest. . All three judges said the ban could resume while they consider a state appeal. The move was widely anticipated and that is why most of the state’s abortion providers had not started performing abortions this week. It is not known how many abortions were performed in Texas after the ban was briefly suspended, but at least six abortion providers had started performing abortions beyond six weeks.

Texas officials celebrated the order. “Tonight, the Fifth Circuit granted an administrative stay in the # SB8 case,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said. wrote on Twitter. “I will continue to fight to keep #Texas safe from federal influence.” Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, lambasted the decision, saying “patients are thrown back into a state of chaos and fear.” Northup called on the Supreme Court to “step in and stop this madness”.

Although the circuit court order is only temporary, experts said it seemed like a clear sign the appeals court would allow Texas law. After all, he had done it once before when he allowed the law to go into effect in September and now he’s decided to take action for Texas just hours after the state asked him to intervene. . The three-judge panel that delivered Friday night’s decision was made up of two judges appointed during Republican administrations. In contrast, the judge who suspended the law was appointed by President Barack Obama.