Washington, Aug 28 (TIWN) A US federal judge has blocked a law restricting abortions in the US state of Missouri after eight weeks of pregnancy from going into effect, reports said.

The law was set to take effect on Wednesday.  It would ban abortions after eight weeks except in cases of medical emergency.  US District Judge Howard Sachs said it was not to be enforced, "pending litigation or further order of the court".  The decision to block the law's enforcement followed a legal challenge by Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union. They sued Missouri last month, arguing that the law was unconstitutional and went against the Supreme Court's landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling, which legalised abortion nationwide.  A number of US states have introduced or proposed restrictive abortion regulations this year in an effort to challenge the ruling.