Appeals Court Upholds Texas’ Sonogram Law for Mothers Seeking Abortion

A federal appeals court in New Orleans ruled that Texas can enforce a controversial abortion law requiring mothers to receive a sonogram while opponents continue to challenge it in court, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry responded to the news today.

A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday overturned a district judge's temporary injunction against enforcing the law, made by U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks in Austin.

The law requires doctors who perform abortions to show sonograms to patients, describe the images and describe the fetal heartbeat.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, currently running for President, issued this statement following the court's ruling:

Today's ruling is a victory for all who stand in the defense of life. Every life lost to abortion is a tragedy, and this important sonogram legislation ensures that every Texas woman seeking an abortion has all the facts about the life she is carrying, and understands the devastating impact of such a life-ending decision. We will continue to fight any attempt to limit our state's laws that value and protect the unborn."

Sparks ruled in August that several provisions of the state law violated the free-speech rights of doctors who perform abortions.

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Information from The Associated Press and The Office of the Governor of Texas