Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy said he expects the U.S. Supreme Court will “swat” away Texas’ restrictive abortion law. The law went into effect last Wednesday in Texas and has caused a state-wide opposition by women and other advocates.
“I think the Supreme Court will swat it away once it comes to them in an appropriate manner,” Cassidy said during an interview with ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.
The law became effective after Texas Supreme Court refused to block the law in a 5-4 ruling. The Texas Supreme Court did not rule on the law using the merits of the landmark 1973 case called Roe V. Wade, which made abortion legal in the United States. The majority of the justices said they were not ready for a full hearing and could not step into the dispute, hence the 5-4 ruling.
In a statement, the justices said: “This order is not based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texas’Texas’ law, and in no way limits other procedurally proper challenges to the Texas law, including in Texas state courts.”
The abortion law, called Texas Heartbeat law or S.B. 8, bans abortions of women after the fetus is already six weeks old. This timeframe has been widely criticized as most women will not know that they are pregnant around this time.
When asked about the abortion law during the interview, Cassidy said: “I think the Supreme Court will swat it away once it comes to them in an appropriate manner.” He said that because many people believe the Heartbeat law is terrible, there is a good chance the U.S. Supreme Court will destroy it.
As for the Texas Supreme Court ruling, Cassidy said it had nothing to do with the constitutionality of Roe V. Wade, but it was about those bringing the case not having standing or enough stake in the case to file the challenge.
Aside from Cassidy, President Joe Biden said that he was critical of the Heartbeat law and that it will “significantly impair women’s access to the health care they need.”
“It just seems, I know this sounds ridiculous, almost un-American,” the president added.
