Reproductive rights groups celebrated "a victory for women" after a federal appeals court upheld a ban on a provision in an Indiana law—signed by former governor and current Vice President Mike Pence—that forced any woman considering an abortion to undergo an ultrasound 18 hours before the procedure.

BREAKING NEWS: Yesterday, the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that the the provision of HEA 1337 requiring an ultrasound 18 hours before an abortion is unconstitutional. This is a great win for reproductive rights and freedom! https://t.co/IX3eyff5TO — Planned Parenthood (@PPIndKentucky) July 26, 2018

A three-member panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday determined that the mandated waiting period in House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1337 imposes an unconstitutional "undue burden" on women, and upheld U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt's March 2017 injunction in a 51-page ruling (pdf).

"Rhetoric and persuasion are certainly legitimate methods for a state to assert its preference, but it cannot force compliance with its otherwise legitimate views by erecting barriers to abortion without evidence that those barriers serve the benefit the state intended," wrote Judge Ilana Rovner. "It appears that [the measure's] only effect is to place barriers between a woman who wishes to exercise her right to an abortion and her ability to do so."

"HEA 1337 would require Hoosiers to make two trips to their provider—a time-consuming and expensive process. We are glad the court saw that there is no medical or legal justification for these rules, which would be especially burdensome for rural residents and people with low incomes," responded Christie Gillespie, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky (PPINK)—which brought the case challenging the law, with assistance from the ACLU of Indiana.

"Deeply personal decisions about abortion should be made by women in consultation with their doctors, not politicians pursuing an extreme ideological agenda.”-- Jane Henegar, ACLU-IN Executive Director Read more about the court ruling on #HEA1337 here: https://t.co/5mdIWQ8XGF SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Never Miss a Beat. Get our best delivered to your inbox.





— ACLU of Indiana (@ACLUIndiana) July 26, 2018

"The ruling affirms that deeply personal decisions about abortion should be made by women in consultation with their doctors, not politicians pursuing an extreme ideological agenda," declared ACLU of Indiana executive director Jane Henegar.

Ken Falk, the group's legal director, added, "This is another repudiation of the unnecessary and unconstitutional attempts by Indiana politicians to interfere with women's reproductive rights."

The latest ruling is one of seven lawsuits challenging Indiana anti-abortion laws since 2011. The state has - so far - lost in every one of them. — Brandon J. Smith (@brandonjsmith5) July 26, 2018

As Brandon J. Smith, the statehouse bureau chief for Indiana Public Broadcasting, noted in a series of tweets, this is just the latest blow to efforts by Indiana's right-wing lawmakers to restrict a woman's right to choose.

Reproductive rights advocates have warned that such efforts are part of a broader ploy by the anti-choice movement to force the U.S. Supreme Court—which could soon have another far-right, Trump-appointed justice—to reconsider its landmark Roe v. Wade ruling and outlaw all abortions nationwide.