The nation's strictest rules on the use of abortion medication will continue to be blocked while a lawsuit against them plays out in court.

Federal appellate judges this morning questioned the legal justification of Arizona lawmakers in restricting -- if not banning outright -- the ability of women to terminate a pregnancy using medication instead of surgery.

U.S. District Court Judge David Bury issued an order late this afternoon rejecting a bid to block implementation while the legality of the 2012 law is litigated.

A federal judge on Thursday threw out a lawsuit seeking to overturn a 2011 law outlawing abortions carried out to prevent the births of females and minority babies.

The number of abortions performed in Arizona dipped from 2011 to 2012, but it was still one of the highest years for terminated pregnancies in the last decade.