A federal judge in Oklahoma has blocked Gov. Kevin Stitt’s (R) order that prohibits elective abortions during the coronavirus crisis, ruling that such a restriction places an “undue burden” on abortion access.

Like many governors, Stitt suspended elective medical procedures and surgeries during the pandemic in order to preserve personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers caring for victims of the respiratory infection caused by the novel coronavirus.

Judge Charles Goodwin of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, a Donald Trump nominee, wrote, according to UPI:

The Court concludes that while the current public health emergency allows the State of Oklahoma to impose some of the cited measures delaying abortion procedures, it has acted in an “unreasonable,” “arbitrary” and “oppressive” way and imposed an “undue burden” on abortion access imposing requirements that effectively deny a right of access to abortion.

Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a lawsuit against Stitt and Attorney General Mike Hunter (R) for suspending elective abortions during the coronavirus crisis.

No one stops needing sexual and reproductive health care in a public health crisis. Abortion is an essential and time-sensitive medical procedure. Period. Sign our petition and fight back against attacks on our care: https://t.co/55ByZeQUTn pic.twitter.com/ZkJIkwakR5 — Planned Parenthood (@PPFA) April 2, 2020

Since Oklahoma bans abortions past the 20th week of pregnancy, Goodwin’s order allows women who were 16 weeks pregnant on March 24, when Stitt issued the executive order, to obtain an abortion prior to the original lift on the ban on April 7.

“Absent travel to another state, the postponement directed by the executive order and press release would effectively eliminate the ability of persons in Oklahoma to get an abortion if they are 20 weeks pregnant before April 30, 2020,” Goodwin wrote.

According to UPI, the judge also allowed medication abortions to continue in Oklahoma since, he said, they require less medical equipment.

“Let this be a lesson to you that we won’t allow you to put our patients and the community at risk,” Planned Parenthood acting president Alexis McGill Johnson told pro-life politicians and activists on Twitter:

To politicians and anti-abortion groups playing political games amid a pandemic: Let this be a lesson to you that we won’t allow you to put our patients and the community at risk. #AbortionIsEssential #COVID19 https://t.co/lMMAUVFvy0 — Alexis McGill Johnson (@alexismcgill) April 6, 2020

Federal judges in other states have also blocked orders suspending elective abortions to save medical equipment for the treatment of coronavirus victims.

The abortion industry, which profits from the procedure, claims it is an “essential” service that must be available to women.

Shock! The abortion industry is trying to exploit the coronavirus for their own gain.https://t.co/lYN6phqb1f — studentsforlife (@StudentsforLife) April 6, 2020

Pro-life activists, however, say the abortion lobby is exploiting the pandemic for their own gain.