Texas abortion law temporarily blocked
Texas law, which came into effect on September 1, prohibits women from having an abortion at around six weeks gestation, with no exceptions in cases of incest or rape.
Last week, tens of thousands of women demonstrated in the United States to defend the right to abortion.
Getty Images via AFP
A Texas federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked a controversial law banning the majority of abortions in that state, amid a lawsuit filed by the government of President Joe Biden.
“This court will not allow this shocking deprivation of such an important right to continue one more day,” Judge Robert Pitman wrote in his ruling, which the State of Texas can appeal. Texas can temporarily no longer enforce the law, supported by Republicans, according to the ruling.
US Justice Minister Merrick Garland spoke in a statement “a victory for women in Texas and for the rule of law.” “We will continue to protect the constitutional rights of all those who seek to undermine them.”
Texas law, which came into effect on Sept. 1, prohibits abortion once the embryo’s heartbeat is detected – around six weeks pregnant, when most women don’t know they’re pregnant. It does not provide for an exception in the event of incest or rape, but only in the event of a medical emergency.
Refusal by the Supreme Court
In recent years, comparable laws have been passed by a dozen other conservative states and struck down in court because they violate the jurisprudence of the United States Supreme Court. This guarantees the right of women to have an abortion as long as the fetus is not viable, ie around 22 weeks of pregnancy.
But the text of Texas has a unique device: it entrusts citizens “exclusively” with the task of enforcing the measure by encouraging them to file a complaint against organizations or people who help women to have illegal abortions.
The Supreme Court, where the conservative judges have a clear majority, invoked these “new procedural questions” to refuse, a month ago, to block the law as demanded by defenders of the right to abortion. The federal government then entered the legal arena, invoking its interest in upholding the constitutional rights of Americans.
“The battle is far from over”
“For more than a month, Texans have been deprived of access to abortion because of an unconstitutional law that should never have come into force,” responded in a statement Alexis McGill Johnson, the president of the giant of Planned Parenthood. Recalling that “the battle is far from over,” Alexis McGill Johnson said he hoped that this decision would allow clinics to resume performing abortions.
“Although the court’s decision allows us to breathe a sigh of relief, the threat of an abortion ban in Texas continues to hover over the state,” added Brigitte Amiri, of the organization. defense of civil rights ACLU. “We already know that the politicians behind this law will stop at nothing until abortion is completely banned.” On the contrary, the group of abortion opponents Susan B. Anthony List denounced the decision of “an unelected judge” as “the people of Texas have spoken through their elected officials and want to protect babies in the world. beating heart”.
Democratic President Joe Biden in September promised “an immediate response” from his government, which he ordered to find “measures to ensure that women in Texas have access to abortion safely and legally.”
Last week, tens of thousands of women demonstrated in the United States to defend the right to abortion. “No matter where you are, this fight is at your doorstep today,” said Alexis McGill Johnson in Washington.
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