The abortion law that Texas passed earlier this year which would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected is set to take effect on Wednesday after an appeals court canceled a hearing and then denied emergency motions to send the case back to a lower court:
One of the nation's most restrictive abortion laws is on track to take effect in Texas this week after an appeals court denied legal challenges.
The law bans abortions as early as six weeks. One provider said 90% of its abortions happen after that point. https://t.co/sfdoMI5L5U
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) August 29, 2021
Here’s more:
A Texas law that would ban abortions after as early as six weeks is poised to take effect Wednesday, after a federal appellate court’s rulings stymied efforts to block the law.
On Friday night, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals canceled a hearing planned for Monday, at which more than 20 abortion providers had hoped to persuade a federal district court in Austin to block the law from taking effect.
Providers have sued to overturn the law, which they say is the nation’s strictest and would create what they call a “bounty hunting scheme” in allowing members of the general public to sue those who might have violated the law. The law, Senate Bill 8, would prohibit abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected without specifying a time frame, before many women know they are pregnant.
Late on Saturday, provider groups, including Planned Parenthood Center for Choice and Whole Woman’s Health Alliance, filed emergency motions with the 5th Circuit, essentially asking it to send the case back to district court or for the appellate court itself to issue a stay that would temporarily block the law’s enforcement.
The 5th Circuit denied the emergency motions Sunday afternoon.
Abortion providers are freaking out:
“If this law is not blocked by September 1, abortion access in Texas will come to an abrupt stop,” Marc Hearron, senior counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents providers, said in a statement. The state’s strategy, he said, has been to “circumvent the court system and the constitution itself,” he said, in order to “push abortion out of reach for as many Texans as possible.”
Damn straight! Abortions all around the country should be pushed “out of reach” of women and made completely illegal. But unfortunately we have to settle for individual states banning them as broadly as they can.
I’m honestly surprised that this law didn’t get blocked already because that just seems to be how things have been going. Thank you 5th Circuit!
Given that a fetal heartbeat is detected as early as six weeks, I think most abortions will become illegal in the state and that’s a wonderful thing to see. I just hope the Supreme Court doesn’t screw this up when they eventually get the chance to rule on this. Looking at you John Roberts.