TOPEKA (AP) -A spokeswoman for Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback says the Republican is disappointed by a judge’s decision to block a new state law that bans a specific abortion procedure.

The governor is a strong abortion opponent. His spokeswoman, Eileen Hawley, released a statement saying Brownback is committed to “supporting a culture of life.”

Hawley called Kansas a “pro-life state” and said, “Kansas law should protect human dignity for all Kansans.”

The law bans a common procedure used during second-trimester abortions that opponents describe as dismembering a fetus. The law was scheduled to take effect next week.

Shawnee County District Judge Larry Hendricks ruled that there’s a substantial likelihood that the ban would create an undue burden for women seeking abortions.

His order will stay in effect while a lawsuit challenging the ban proceeds.

Brownback is also criticizing the U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding a key portion of the federal health overhaul and is not changing his stance on expanding Medicaid.

Spokeswoman Eileen Hawley said Thursday in a statement that the decision is disappointing and ignores the federal law’s actual language. The court’s majority upheld health insurance subsidies for consumers in states like Kansas that refused to set up their own online marketplaces.

Brownback and other Republicans blame the law championed by Democratic President Barack Obama for rising health insurance costs.

Kansas so far has refused to expand its Medicaid program to cover residents not eligible for subsidies.

Hawley said Brownback still believes the state must first provide services to the disabled and then ensure it can sustain an expansion long-term.