Abortion Group Calls Abortion Ban Ruling 'Rogue,' Asks For Clarification

The Center for Reproductive Rights is asking 7th district judge, Cindy Truong to clear up a decision which the group calls a "rogue ruling."

Judge Truong upheld Oklahoma's 2015 law banning a common form of surgical abortion known as dilation and extraction or D-and-E abortion.

The procedure is most commonly performed in the second trimester and is considered the standard practice after 14 weeks of pregnancy. It's largely used in situations when a pregnancy threatens the health of the mother or after a miscarriage.

Critics of banning this kind of abortion said it forces doctors to use less safe methods or deny women abortions after the first trimester overall. Supporters of the ban said it protects fetuses that would otherwise be born.

Judge Truong's ruling is the first time a ban like this has been upheld in federal court. Monday’s trial comes on the heels of several abortion bans that were passed in Georgia, Missouri and Alabama earlier this year sparking heated debate across the country and today's trial here in Oklahoma is could likely get similar national attention.