After the US Supreme Court refused to block the country’s most stringent anti-abortion statute from taking effect, abortion rights are now on the chopping block.
Abortions beyond the sixth week of pregnancy are illegal in Texas. As you may know, many/most women are unaware they are pregnant within the first six weeks. Furthermore, if an abortion is performed after the sixth week, any citizen in the country — not just Texas, but the entire country — has the right to sue anyone who assisted in the abortion for $10,000 plus attorney’s fees.
This means that not only the clinic might be sued, but also the Uber driver, a friend who called the clinic, a counselor, or the wife’s spouse, etc.
According to TMZ, The Supreme Court was urged to put the law on hold before it took effect at midnight on Tuesday, but the court remained mute… If the justices didn’t think this statute directly violated Roe v. Wade, it’s a clear indication of how they felt about Roe.
A Mississippi anti-abortion statute is a direct challenge to the 1973 ruling that grants women the right to an abortion. There are 5 justices — and probably 6 — who have strongly signaled that they would be inclined to overturn Roe, and they will have a chance to do so shortly.
For the time being, Roe vs. Wade is functionally not the rule of the land in Texas, where abortion facilities are illegal, and its destiny is now in jeopardy.
