The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to block one Texas prohibit abortion After six weeks of pregnancy, the passage of a state law prohibiting most abortions has dealt a major blow to abortion rights.
The decision is an important milestone in the abortion struggle, as opponents have been seeking to remove the right to use the procedure for decades.
The judges rejected the emergency ban on abortion and women’s health care providers by 5 to 4 votes. The ban took effect early Wednesday, but the lawsuit continues.
As the U.S. Supreme Court remains silent, Texas’ ban on almost all abortions takes effect
Chief Justice John Roberts, one of the six conservatives on the Supreme Court, also joined the ranks of three dissenting liberals.
“The court order is shocking,” the liberal justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in an objection.
“When applying for a ban on a blatantly unconstitutional law aimed at prohibiting women from exercising constitutional rights and evading judicial review, most judges chose to bury their heads in the sand.”
In an unsigned interpretation, the majority of the court stated that the decision was “not based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texas law” and allowed for legal challenges.
The decision illustrates the impact of the three conservative appointments of former Republican President Donald Trump, who have tilted the court further to the right. All people are in the majority.
The Abortion Rights Group stated that the law almost completely prohibits abortions in Texas because 85% to 90% of abortions are performed after six weeks of pregnancy and may force many clinics to close. It also gives ordinary citizens the right to sue those who do not comply with the prohibition.
Since the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade in 1973, no state has allowed such an injunction. This is a landmark ruling that legalizes abortion nationwide.
Texas is one of a dozen states led mainly by the Republican Party. Once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, the procedure is banned, usually within six weeks, sometimes before the woman realizes she is pregnant.
The court blocked such injunctions on the grounds of Roe v. Wade.
The court’s action on the Texas injunction may herald its practice in another case of the 15-week injunction in Mississippi, which requires the judge to overturn Rowe v. Wade.
The court will hear the debate during its term of office beginning in October and will make a ruling at the end of June 2022.
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Gridoyle and Clarence Fernandez)
