A federal judge in Colorado has blocked a state law that prevented a Catholic health care clinic from offering progesterone to reverse medically induced abortions.

U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Domenico on Saturday issued a preliminary injunction to allow Bella Health and Wellness to offer the abortion-countering medication, saying the state law infringed on the clinic’s “free exercise of religion.”

The clinic “considers it a religious obligation to provide treatment for pregnant mothers and to protect unborn life if the mother seeks to stop or reverse an abortion,” Judge Domenico, a Trump appointee, said in his ruling.

Progesterone can reverse the effects of the first drug used in medication-based abortions, mifepristone, and is given to women at risk of miscarriage, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty noted in a news release.

In April, Colorado enacted a law that cited giving progesterone to women seeking to counteract mifepristone as “unprofessional conduct.” The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists panned the procedure, saying it is “not based on science and [does] not meet clinical standards,” according to The Associated Press.

Colorado’s law threatened legal action against pro-life clinics such as Bella Health and Wellness, which has facilities in Denver and Englewood.

The state “is trying to make outlaws of doctors and nurses providing life-saving and compassionate care to women they serve,” Rebekah Ricketts, counsel at Becket, said in a statement. “This ruling ensures that pregnant women across the state will receive the care they deserve and won’t be forced to have abortions against their will.”

“We are relieved and overjoyed to continue helping the many women who come to our clinic seeking help,” said Dede Chism and Abby Sinnett, mother-and-daughter cofounders of Bella Health and Wellness.

Judge Domenico said in his ruling that Bella Health had a “credible” fear that under Section Three of the law, the state’s medical, pharmacy and nursing boards could ask the attorney general to move against any professional who “provides, prescribes, administers, or attempts medication abortion reversal in this state.”

“There is no question whether Section Three burdens Bella Health’s free exercise of religion. It does,” the judge wrote.

The state has 30 days to appeal the injunction.

“The Colorado attorney general’s office does not comment on active litigation. As such, we have no comment about this case,” Lawrence Pacheco, a spokesman for Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, said via email.

• Mark A. Kellner can be reached at mkellner@washingtontimes.com.