A federal judge on Monday blocked the state's emergency ban on abortions during the coronavirus outbreak.

U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel said the ban violates a woman's right to choose as outlined in the 14th Amendment. He granted a temporary restraining order as abortion providers seek a permanent injunction.

"Regarding a woman's right to a pre-fetal-viability abortion, the Supreme Court has spoken clearly," Yeakel wrote. "There can be no outright ban on such a procedure."

The decision was issued as abortion providers move to overturn parts of an emergency order from Gov. Greg Abbott postponing non-essential surgeries during the outbreak. Attorney General Ken Paxton, a fellow Republican, had threatened to criminally prosecute health care workers who provided abortions, which he deemed non-essential.

For subscribers: Texas abortion ban has patients, clinics scrambling for options

Paxton said the measure would free up hospital beds and medical supplies as the state ramps up its response to the virus. Most abortions are not performed in hospitals, but officials said those in freestanding clinics and surgical centers still use protective gear now in high demand.

“We are disappointed in the court’s decision,” a spokesman for Paxton said in a statement. “We’ll seek appellate review promptly.”

The ruling is the first in a series of lawsuits that abortion providers and advocates have filed in states that have imposed similar temporary restrictions. Earlier on Monday, Planned Parenthood and others announced lawsuits in Ohio, Iowa, Alabama and Oklahoma.

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Louisiana and Mississippi have also moved to prohibit abortions during the pandemic.

Doctors and staff reported patients in tears last week as their appointments were cancelled, some begging for pills to end their pregnancies on their own. Providers said they had discussed sending women to clinics in other states, but worried that travel was not safe, let alone a viable option for those already struggling from the financial fallout of the outbreak.

“Many people are already financially insecure and futures are uncertain," said Amy Hagstrom Miller, who oversees abortion clinics in Texas and is one of the plaintiffs. "We applaud today’s ruling, which will allow us to do what we do best, provide safe and compassionate abortion care to those who need it.”

The ban had sought to prohibit all abortions through much of April, including medication abortions, in which a woman is given pills that terminate her pregnancy. Providers said they don't normally use any of the protective gear now in demand for medication abortions, and had limited their use of disposable masks for surgical abortion in recent days as the virus spread.

In a brief filed Monday, attorneys for Paxton said that even if providers use less gear, "they are still using (personal protective equipment) that instead could be used for health care workers on the front lines."

"Even one extra mask could save the life of a physician or nurse," they wrote.

The restraining order lasts at least through April 13, when a hearing has been set for a preliminary injunction.