Michigan judge halts enforcement of state's pre-Roe abortion ban

Washington — A Michigan judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked enforcement of the state's near-century old ban on abortions should the Supreme Court overrule its landmark decision that established the right to an abortion nationwide.

In a 27-page order in a case brought by Planned Parenthood of Michigan and an abortion provider, Judge Elizabeth Gleicher of the Michigan Court of Claims granted the organization's request for a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of the law, which was enacted in 1931 and makes abortion a felony in most instances.

The ban has been dormant since the Supreme Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide, but would go back into effect — making abortion in Michigan illegal — if the high court strikes down Roe, which it appears likely to do in the coming weeks. Gleicher's order, though, suspends enforcement of the law if the Supreme Court overrules its decision in Roe.