Montana judge temporarily blocks enforcement of abortion ban; hearing next week

A Montana judge is preventing the state from enforcing a new ban on the type of abortion most commonly used after 15 weeks of gestation until he can hear arguments on the law next week. District Court Judge Mike Menahan issued a temporarily restraining order Thursday against a law that bans the use of dilation and evacuation abortions. The law took effect Tuesday, immediately after Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the bill. The state argues the law does not completely ban dilation and evacuation abortions. The procedure could still be performed if the provider killed the fetus first by injecting it with a drug or saline solution.