A decades-old North Carolina law that banned women from having abortions after their 20th week of pregnancy is unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled Monday.
The 1973 law made some allowances for medical concerns, but a 2015 amendment that narrowed those exemptions prompted abortion rights groups to file a lawsuit in 2016.
U.S. District Judge William Osteen sided with the advocacy groups this week, writing that courts across the country have struck down "week- or event-specific abortion bans" and North Carolina's is no different.
Under the ruling - which will take effect in 60 days, pending an appeal from the state or revised legislation - women will be able to seek abortions at any point before a doctor determines that a fetus is "viable" and may be able to survive outside the womb.