The Supreme Court on Friday blocked enforcement of a Louisiana law that could force all but one of the state's abortion clinics to close, a sign that a similar law in Texas also could be in peril.

Last year, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans largely upheld the law; so if the Supreme Court issues a split decision, it will uphold the lower court's decision and affect the three states - Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas - covered by the appeals court, not setting a national precedent.

The abortion providers contend the law was created to shut down abortion clinics by requiring hospital "admitting privileges" that are hard for their doctors to secure. For the past week, only two abortion clinics in the state, in New Orleans and Shreveport, have been able to provide the procedure. Supporters of the law say it's a way to ensure the safety of women seeking abortions, while opponents insist it's a tactic to curb the practice altogether.

The court is expected to issue its ruling in the Texas case - which will presumably affect the order for Louisiana as well - in June.

In its previous abortion case in 2007, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to uphold the federal ban on partial-birth abortion, signed into law in 2003 by President George W. Bush.

Before Louisiana's law took effect, five out of the state's six abortion providers made 13 different attempts to secure admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.

But some pro-choice protesters at the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday gave answers that either do not hold up to any introspection, or are hardly answers at all. Another said abortion should be legal "as long as it's a fetus".

The order noted that one of the eight justices, conservative Clarence Thomas, said he would have denied the application.

Oklahoma Senate Bill 1848 requires an "abortion facility to have a physician on the premises during an abortion procedure that has admitting privileges at a general medical surgical hospital, which offers obstetrical or gynecological care, within 30 miles of the facility". The court's action could suggest that a similar provision in Texas is also in trouble.

Louisiana's law was struck down by a trial judge, but the appeals court said last week that the law could be enforced.