Justice Department asks court to stop Texas abortion law from being implemented

The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court Monday to stop the implementation of Texas' restrictive abortion law, requesting the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to deny a stay against an injunction blocking the law from going into effect. 

The move comes days after a three-judge panel on the 5th Circuit decided last week to temporarily reinstate the abortion law, placing an administrative stay on the lower court's injunction while it considers Texas' larger argument. 

The Texas law bars abortions after six weeks into a pregnancy, once a fetal heartbeat can be detected — which is often before many women know they're pregnant.