A federal judge in the United States has ruled that a Texas law that makes abortion almost impossible must be temporarily suspended. The law became effective at the beginning of September and prescribes, among other things, that women should no longer have abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy. It is the strictest abortion law in the United States.
The administration of President Joe Biden finds the abortion law unconstitutional and therefore has Texas taken to court. That court must review the constitutionality. Until that happens, the law cannot be implemented in Texas, Judge Robert Pitman ruled.
Supreme Court rejected the law before the law came into effect by a majority of five to four judges illegal but made no statement on constitutionality. There is a majority of conservative justices in the Supreme Court because of various appointments from the previous President Trump.
Premium on abortion assistance
The law sparked widespread protest in America and internationally. Under Texas law, abortion is only legal when a heartbeat cannot be detected. This is usually around the sixth week of pregnancy. Some women do not even know that they are pregnant at that time. The law also does not allow termination of pregnancies resulting from rape and incest.
People who support an abortion that has been declared illegal can also face a hefty fine. This does not only concern doctors, but also, for example, people who take a woman to an abortion clinic or who offer psychological support. They have to pay the amount of 10,000 dollars to the person who reported them to the authorities. Critics say it puts a bounty on aid workers’ heads intended to intimidate.
Roe v. Wade
The Biden administration has spoken out strongly against the law on several occasions. Reference is made to the famous Roe v. Wade lawsuit, which the US Supreme Court heard in 1973. Since then, it has been nationally determined that women in America must be able to legally have abortions up to the 24th week of pregnancy.
Many conservative states are challenging Roe v. Wade’s ruling, bolstered by the conservative majority in the Supreme Court. In December, a case will be filed by the state of Mississippi that wants to ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Mississippi asks the Supreme Court to reverse the Roe v. Wade ruling.
80 percent fewer abortions
Judge Robert Pitman has already anticipated the ruling of his fellow judge who has to consider the constitutionality of Texas law: “Other courts may find ways to circumvent this conclusion. But this court stands the scandalous denial of such an important don’t allow a day longer.”
It remains to be seen whether the temporary suspension of the law will change much in Texas in practice. Doctors are afraid of being prosecuted for what they do during this period, should the law become final later.
According to nonprofit organization Planned Parenthood, the number of abortions has fallen by 80 percent since the law went into effect. Abortion clinics in Texas are therefore threatened with closure, while clinics in surrounding states cannot handle the influx of women from Texas.
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