The American civil liberties union confirmed that the controversial ” no abortion after six weeks pregnancy” law is all set to take effect from September 1.
Emergency requests brought by abortion providers are pending as the supreme court, and federal appeals court failed to rule on the requests.
Under the law, abortion is strictly prohibited when the heartbeat is observed during pregnancy, even before women realise she is pregnant. There is no exception for incest or rape. Although, medical emergencies can be exempted.
The law includes a bizarre provision that allows private citizens to sue abortion providers or health care workers if they believe they are knowingly helping a person seeking an abortion. In other words, citizens can sue someone who is paying for someone’s abortion.
However, many abortion providers asked the court to block the implementation of the law with an argument saying, if the law came into effect, it would cause a decline in abortion cases in texas, thus forcing many clinics to shut down.
They further added patients would be forced to remain pregnant and take care of children against their will.
Another said patients might be forced to leave the state.
ACLU stated that by allowing private citizens to sue a person they believe is providing abortion after six weeks, the law “actively encourages private individuals to act as Fugitive hunters by awarding them at least $10,000.”
Although the District Court had scheduled a hearing on Monday and denied the state’s effort to dismiss the lawsuit, however, later last weekend, the US circuit court of Appeals issued an order to cancel the hearing and dismiss the emergency petition to block the law by clinics.
The clinics filed a lawsuit against Texas lawyer General Ken Paxton, Mark Lee, the Right to Life East director.
However, Despite furious backlash from supports of the Abortion Rights, the supreme court failed to respond.
