The law, which bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy and empowers private citizens to sue to enforce it, went into effect Wednesday in a monumental shift on abortion rights.
WASHINGTON — The US Supreme Court on Tuesday night took no action to block a Texas law set to take effect Wednesday that will ban abortions in the state beginning at six weeks of pregnancy.
Though US courts have for decades held that abortion is a right before a fetus is viable, generally around 24 weeks of pregnancy, Texas’s SB 8 makes abortion illegal once a heartbeat can be detected, which is typically around week six. At that point, just two weeks after a missed period, many people may not even realize they’re pregnant.
The law also relies on private individuals — not law enforcement or other government officials — to enforce the ban. People who suspect a violation of SB 8 can bring a lawsuit to stop abortion providers from operating at all and demand they pay a monetary award to the person who sued.
Like other laws aimed at limiting abortions, SB 8 will have the biggest impact on people who are already vulnerable. It opens victims of abuse up to further control and would make abortion largely inaccessible for people who can’t afford to travel outside of Texas.