The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is allowing temporary enforcement, pending appeal, of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) order halting elective procedures, including abortions, during the coronavirus pandemic.

On Monday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton applauded the temporary stay order that permits enforcement of the executive order while the court considers the state’s appeal.

I thank the court for their immediate and careful attention to the health and safety needs of Texans. The temporary stay ordered this afternoon justly prioritizes supplies & personal protective equipment for the medical professionals in need.https://t.co/xLj8nuyGbK — Texas Attorney General (@TXAG) March 31, 2020

Paxton said in a statement:

I thank the court for their immediate and careful attention to the health and safety needs of Texans suffering from the spread of COVID-19. The temporary stay ordered this afternoon justly prioritizes supplies and personal protective equipment for the medical professionals in need. The Governor’s Order temporarily halting unnecessary medical procedures, including abortion, applies to all health care facilities and professionals equally as Texans come together to combat this medical crisis.

Planned Parenthood reacted, “This is not over,” in a tweet responding to the news of the appeals court’s temporary stay:

We won't stop fighting for our patients. This is not over. #AbortionIsEssential https://t.co/6hwr3I9W2F — Planned Parenthood (@PPFA) March 31, 2020

However, Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, said in a statement sent to Breitbart News:

Pregnancy is not a disease cured by abortion, which is definitely not a treatment for the coronavirus. Wasting valuable resources to end life while medical personnel experience critical equipment shortages while battling to save the lives of those stricken with the coronavirus is a misuse of taxpayer funded resources as well as an inhumane response to this moment of crisis.

“The Governor’s Executive Order applies to all health care facilities and professionals in Texas to ensure that hospitals and their staff have access to as much personal protective equipment and hospital beds as possible during the crisis,” Paxton’s office observed Monday as well. “Abortion facilities want special treatment not available to any other health care provider in Texas.”

Paxton himself added:

For years, abortion has been touted as a “choice” by the same groups now attempting to claim that it is an essential procedure. All Texans must work together to stop the spread of COVID-19. My office will continue to defend Governor Abbott’s Order to ensure that supplies and personal protective gear reach the hardworking medical professionals who need it the most during this health crisis.

Planned Parenthood and its allies have sued multiple states that have suspended elective procedures, including abortions, as hospitals and healthcare workers scramble to obtain masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) during the coronavirus outbreak.

Federal judges in Texas, Alabama, and Ohio have blocked those orders, ruling women have a constitutional right to abortion, even though most abortions are elective procedures.

Though Planned Parenthood refers to abortion as a “choice,” at a time when all medical equipment has been needed for healthcare workers treating patients with the coronavirus infection, the group is now claiming elective abortion is “essential.”

The abortion giant is itself requesting donations of medical equipment and cash to assist in continuing to perform its abortions.