While New York and other liberal bastions have reinforced their abortion laws over fears that the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v Wade, Texans are doing the opposite. A new bill outlawing abortions with very stiff penalties is headed to Greg Abbott’s desk to sign into law. However the bill won’t go into effect yet because it is contingent on Roe v Wade being overturned by the Supreme Court:
THE HILL – The Texas state Senate approved a bill on Tuesday that would ban abortion in the state if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that granted women the right to abortion.
The legislation, known as a “trigger” bill, is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) desk.
Abbott will likely sign the legislation into law after he approved a bill last week that bans virtually all abortions in the state after a fetal heartbeat is detected.
The “trigger” bill, however, if signed by Abbott, would not take effect unless the Supreme Court “wholly or partly” overturns Roe v. Wade.
Last week, the Supreme Court agreed to take up a case that focuses on a dispute over a Mississippi law that bans virtually all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, setting the 6-3 conservative majority up to make a decision that could potentially effect Roe v. Wade protections.
If the Supreme Court wholly or partially overturns Roe v. Wade and Abbott signs the “trigger” bill, individuals who perform or attempt to perform an abortion in Texas will face a second-degree felony.
That penalty would be increased to a first-degree felony, with the possibility of a life sentence, according to The Dallas Morning News, if the fetus dies as “as a result of the offense.”
According to The Dallas Morning News, the bill would also establish a civil penalty for abortion providers of at least $100,000, and their licenses would be revoked if they violate the ban.
The bill includes few exceptions for abortions. Pregnant people who are at risk of death or if their situation poses “a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function” because of their pregnancy would be exempted from the law.
The legislation does not include exceptions for pregnancies that result from rape or incest, The Dallas Morning News noted.
This is exactly what many have been wanting to see in a bill that bans abortion. It’s just a shame that it can’t become law immediately.
But I really do like the proactive nature of the bill and the stiff penalties it puts on those who continue to perform abortions. Texas is drawing a clear line in the sand on the issue. Let just hope that the Supreme Court does it’s part in overturning this horrific ruling that’s resulted in the legal murder or millions of babies.