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A federal judge has blocked the new Texas law that uses the prospect of private lawsuits to enforce a ban on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy.

Acting on a suit brought by the Biden administration, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Pitman issued a preliminary injunction on Wednesday evening that immediately forbids Texas state court judges and clerks to accept suits under the law, known as S.B. 8.

2021 has been the worst year for abortion rights since Roe v. Wade, with more than 90 restrictions on abortion access enacted at the state level. Texas’s S.B. 8, the vigilante-enforced abortion ban at about six weeks of pregnancy, has been the most dramatic and concerning, effectively cutting off all abortion access in the state.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee held a hearing Thursday on abortion rights in response to the spate of anti-abortion laws being instituted across the country. 

Three female Democrats — Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri, Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Barbara Lee of California — all shared their personal stories of having undergone abortions. In a just world, their testimony wouldn’t be required to secure basic human rights like abortion access for all.