The US Supreme Court has refused to block a new law in Texas that bans abortions for most women.
The so-called Heartbeat Act bans terminations after the detection of what anti-abortion campaigners call a foetal heartbeat – a point when many women do not know they are pregnant.
The law gives any individual the right to sue doctors who perform an abortion past the six-week point.
Rights groups had asked for an injunction to prevent its enforcement.
But in a late night vote, the Supreme Court justices ruled 5-4 against granting this.
The court’s majority said their decision was not based on any conclusion about whether the Texas law was constitutional or not, and that the door remained open for legal challenges.
All three of former President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court appointees voted against blocking the ban.
BBC
