As of today, abortion is only possible in the US state of Texas under very strict conditions. It becomes illegal to terminate a pregnancy if a heartbeat is detected. Because this can often already be done in the sixth week, most women do not even know that they are pregnant at that time.
In addition, people who support an illegal abortion must pay a $10,000 premium to the person who reports them. This applies not only to the doctors who perform the abortion, but also to someone who drives a woman to a clinic, pays for an abortion or offers psychological support.
Remarkably, the US Supreme Court, which is due to rule on such strict laws soon, has not demanded that Texas wait until a verdict is passed before enacting the law. Strict abortion laws in a dozen other states have done so before.
No exceptions
The new Texas law is the strictest abortion law since the 1973 Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that a woman has a constitutional right to an abortion. For example, there are no exceptions for rape or incest.
“Our Creator blessed us with the right to life, yet millions of children are killed by abortion every year,” Republican Governor Abbott said when he signed the bill. “In Texas, we’re working to save those kids.”
The law is unique in that it is not the government but citizens that must enforce it. State residents can sue anyone who may be involved in an illegal abortion, from a helpful parent to the Uber driver who drops someone off at a clinic. If found guilty, the reporter must pay the reporter $10,000 and legal costs.
‘Pure intimidation’
Opponents of the law say it puts a bounty on aid workers’ heads, purely to intimidate them. They are also afraid of abuse of procedural law, because there are no consequences for the prosecutors if someone is found innocent. Even persons and organizations that are acquitted will therefore spend a lot of money on lawyers’ fees.
Abortion organizations have asked the Supreme Court to declare this law, and some similar ones in other states, unconstitutional. The pro-life movement hopes that the court will be prepared to curtail abortion rights after half a century: with the appointment of conservative judges by President Trump, the highest judicial body of the US has clearly moved to the right.
The Supreme Court will hear the case in October. A ruling is not expected until June 2022.
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