Texas ban on abortion procedure blocked again by court

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A federal appeals court has ruled that Texas can’t ban a common second-trimester abortion procedure that Republican-led statehouses across the U.S. have sought to outlaw in recent years.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the measure “unduly burdens a woman’s constitutionally-protected right.”

The Texas law used the non-medical term “dismemberment abortion” to describe the procedure, but abortion-rights groups say it’s the safest and most common way of terminating a second-trimester pregnancy.

Courts have also blocked similar measures passed by other GOP-controlled statehouses