Strictest abortion law in the US reinstated following court order

People participating in the Houston Women’s March against Texas abortion ban last Saturday (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP)

A federal appeals court has allowed Texas to resume banning most abortions, just one day after clinics began racing to serve patients again for the first time since early September.

A one-page order by the 5th US Court of Appeals reinstated the nation’s strictest abortion law, which bans abortions once cardiac activity is detected, usually around six weeks.