A federal judge has blocked the new abortion law from being introduced into Mississippi.
The so-called 'heartbeat law' had been passed by legislators in the state and forbids women from having an abortion after a fetal heartbeat has been detected - which usually occurs six weeks into a pregnancy.
However, making the preliminary injunction, Judge Carlton Reeves said the bill 'threatens immediate harm to women's rights, especially considering most women do not seek abortions services until after six weeks'.
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Judge Reeves wrote: "Allowing the law to take effect would force the clinic to stop providing most abortion care.
"By banning abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, the law prevents a woman's free choice, which is central to personal dignity and autonomy."
Last week Reeves - who struck down a bill to ban an abortion after 15 weeks - said the new law 'smacks of defiance to this court' and asked: "Doesn't it just boil down to six is less than 15?"
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State officials defended the bill in court, claiming the law was passed help the state's efforts in regulating the medical profession, as well a promoting a 'respect for life'.
And though they accepted the Supreme Court precedent on viability, officials argued that the chances of survival after a heartbeat has been detected were between '95 and 98 per cent'.
According to reports, court documents state the law was introduced to 'prohibit procedures that destroy the life of a whole, separate, unique living human being'.
The 'heartbeat law' was set to come into being in July this year, and abortion laws similar to this, have already been introduced in 15 other states this year and passed in four; Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio and Mississippi.
Alongside these, Alabama introduced an almost total ban on abortion. Under rules in the state, the procedure will only be allowed to 'avoid a serious health risk to the unborn child's mother' for ectopic pregnancy and if the 'unborn child has a lethal anomaly'.
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Since this piece of legislation was announced, The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood both filed lawsuits contesting it.
Celebrities have also been vocal in their opposition to the 'heartbeat law'.
Earlier this month, comedian Chelsea Handler slammed legislators in the southern state, saying: "Of those 25 men who voted to ban abortion in Alabama, I'd like to know how many of them have ever been pregnant. Or have gotten pregnant as a result of rape. I'd like to know how many of those men know exactly what it is like to be a woman. The answer is zero."
While Hillary Clinton wrote on social media: "The abortion bans in Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Mississippi are appalling attacks on women's lives and fundamental freedoms. Women's rights are human rights. We will not go back."
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