Controversial Texas Abortion Law Goes into Effect

A Texas abortion law that is being described as the most restrictive in the country went into effect Wednesday morning.

Senate Bill 8, which bans most abortions at about six weeks of pregnancy, was implemented after both the United States Supreme Court and a federal appeals court failed to act on a request from state abortion providers — including Planned Parenthood and Whole Woman’s Health locations — to block it.

However, the New York Times points out that justices may still rule on the request.

The law allows private citizens to bring civil suits against anyone who assists a pregnant person seeking an abortion in violation of the ban. In Texas, abortion is prohibited when a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is often before a woman knows she is pregnant.

While patients cannot be sued, doctors, staff, and even a patient’s rideshare driver can be listed as defendants.

Additionally, plaintiffs — who do not need to have a connection to the patient or show injury — may be entitled to $10,000 and legal fees if awarded a victory. However, defendants are not entitled to legal fees.

The law also makes no exceptions for pregnancies resulting from incest or rape. However, there is one for “medical emergencies.”

In their emergency application, abortion providers in the state wrote that the law “would immediately and catastrophically reduce abortion access in Texas, barring care for at least 85 percent of Texas abortion patients (those who are six weeks pregnant or greater) and likely forcing many abortion clinics ultimately to close.”

In a statement, President Joe Biden called the law “extreme” and a violation of the constitutional right established under 1973’s Roe v. Wade, which protects a pregnant woman’s liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction.