SecondRecently, many people in Texas wanted the Supreme Court to intervene-but from Tuesday to Wednesday night, nine judges remained silent on the new abortion law in this Republican-ruled state.According to the law, have Termination of pregnancy Manufacturing or support can be legally liable-but not including the pregnant woman herself.
The new regulations affect all pregnancies from the sixth week, when many women did not even know that they were pregnant.According to U.S. health authorities CDC It is estimated that 65% of abortions occur in the first 8 weeks after fertilization and 91% of abortions. Therefore, Texas law declares that mass abortions are actually illegal. There are no exceptions for rape of adults or minors.
However, the particularity of the new law lies in its implementation. It is stipulated that the state shall not recognize and punish doctors and medical personnel who perform induced abortions. On the contrary, it stipulates that private individuals can file a civil lawsuit against medical professionals as soon as they become aware of the abortion and are offended. Whether the citizen complaining is related to the pregnant person is irrelevant.
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The chairman of Planned Parenthood, Alexis McGill, called the law an invitation to justice and condemnation of the righteous police. According to NPR Radio, the successful plaintiff may even receive damages. The anti-abortion organization “Texas Right to Life” has run a website specifically targeting so-called “whistleblowers.”
Biden: extreme law
According to lawyers, the wording of the law also makes it more difficult to take action on the Texas variant of the abortion ban, compared to opposing similar developments in other Republican states. In order to protect themselves legally, affected clinics and clinics in Texas announced that they will no longer perform abortions for the time being.
President Joe Biden It was promised on Wednesday that the constitutional rights of pregnant women would be subject to “Roe v. Wade” starting in 1973. Accordingly, the state cannot ban abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy; there can only be a limited deadline from the second trimester. “This extreme law in Texas violated Roe v. Wade was created and maintained for half a century,” Biden said.
6.30 am on weekdays
When asked, the White House remained vague about what the president intends to do. Its options are limited. Biden can ask Congress again about the legal form of “Roe v. Wade”. The decision at that time made abortion a major part of privacy protection. Many Democrats support such laws. Some activists also called for changes to the constitution to guarantee equality between men and women, including unhindered access to medical services. Given the majority of seats in the Senate, such a rule is unlikely to happen. At present, Republicans can choose to block many legislative initiatives by “obstructing the process.” Conservative Democrats like Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia do not want to abolish this.
The law will prevent states from challenging abortion rights in the Supreme Court. The Texas law came into effect on Wednesday because despite urgent requests from civil rights organizations and medical professionals, the chief judge did not stop it. The Supreme Court can still declare the statute unconstitutional-but unlike previous cases, it only applies once.
666 new laws
Most conservative judges will also make a decision in the fall on Mississippi’s abortion law, which prohibits abortion after the 15th week. This year alone, 19 states passed restrictive abortion laws that are often blocked by lower courts. The goal of conservatively governed states is for the Supreme Court to at least partially confirm one of these provisions and “Roe v. Wade”, so abortion is only possible if individual states have no restrictions.
The new abortion law not only went into effect in Texas on Wednesday. Members of Congress passed 666 new laws and regulations, waiting to be signed by Governor Greg Abbott or take effect immediately.
These include tightening of election laws protested by the Democratic Party. Voting by mail is becoming more and more time-consuming again, and districts can no longer send absentee voting requests. Facilities such as mobile polling stations in underserved areas are also prohibited. Texas has also abolished most regulations on the purchase of pistols-very few people, especially former criminals, will not be able to buy pistols and rifles.
Throughout the summer, dozens of Texas Democrats boycotted the House of Representatives and left the state, mainly to prevent decisions about voting rights. With the end of the blockade, the Republicans were able to pass the delayed law.
