The United States Supreme Court did not block the Texas law that bans abortion after six weeks. However, the Supreme Court said they would hear the arguments and challenges to decide if the federal government has the right to sue.
The hearings will begin on Nov. 1. The Texas abortion law is highly criticized by women, advocates, and other public officials as the time allowed where a woman can get an abortion is roughly the same time the woman first knows she is pregnant.
The Effect Of The Supreme Court’s Decision
The Guardian reported that in light of the Supreme Court’s decision over the matter, the Texas abortion law would temporarily remain in effect. Texas abortion clinics said that the law led to an 80 percent reduction in abortions in the state.
The Texas abortion law, otherwise known as Senate Bill 8 or SB8, has been effective since September, and it was briefly allowed to remain in effect after a district court ordered so. SB8 bans abortions once the cardiac activity is detected, and this usually happens around six weeks of pregnancy.
SB8 is also criticized for allowing private citizens to enforce it. In the law, anyone who knows a woman getting an abortion despite the detection of cardiac activity can report it to the authorities. The penalty for going against the law is $10,000.
Supreme Court’s Decision Criticized By One Justice
Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized the recent move by the Supreme Court regarding the Texas abortion law. The Guardian quoted her saying, “The court is right to calendar this application for argument … in recognition of the public importance of the issues these cases raise. The promise of future adjudication offers cold comfort, however, for Texas women seeking abortion care.”
The Biden administration was already on the front lines criticizing the Texas abortion law as it filed a case against it through the Justice Department. In their statement, the Biden administration warned the U.S. Supreme Court that if the law stays in effect, no decision from them is safe as states no longer need to comply or challenge precedents with which they disagree. The Biden administration added that states may simply outlaw the exercise of whatever rights they disfavor.
The Biden administration did not release a new statement following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to let the Texas abortion law remain in force.
