A judge for the US District Court for the Western District of Texas [official website] on Wednesday extended [order, PDF] a restraining order blocking new Texas regulations [text, PDF] that would require the burial or cremation of aborted fetal remains until January 27. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton [official website], who is confident the court will rule for the state, said [press release], “Texas values the dignity of the remains of the unborn and believes that fetal tissue should be disposed of properly and humanely.” Amy Hagstrom Miller], a plaintiff and president of Whole Woman’s Health [official website], testified [Reuters report] that the regulation would increase costs and the stigma of abortion.

Judge Sam Sparks temporarily blocked [JURIST report] the Texas regulation back in December. The US Supreme Court struck down [JURIST report] a controversial Texas abortion law in June. The court ruled [opinion, PDF] 5-3 in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt [SCOTUSblog materials] that HB2 [text], which imposed certain requirements on abortion clinics and doctors, created an undue burden on access to abortion, and was therefore unconstitutional.