R&I NV — Exactly two months after allowing Texas to impose a near-total ban on abortions, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday will take a closer look at the groundbreaking state law deliberately designed by its sponsors to evade constitutional review in federal court.
SB8, which outlaws most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, has succeeded — at least temporarily — because it is enforced through an unprecedented scheme that deputizes private citizens to bring lawsuits against anyone who “aids or abets” an unlawful abortion.
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State officials insist they have no role in implementation of the law and therefore cannot be targeted in court. They also claim that it does not impose an “undue burden” on women seeking abortion care, since they are still free to do so up to six weeks of pregnancy and can freely travel out of state to seek services elsewhere.
Texas abortion providers argue SB8 has had a chilling effect on clinics and imposed irreversible harm on women patients, many of whom don’t have the financial means to travel long distances to seek abortions. They also warn that if the law stands, copycat bills in other states could threaten other constitutionally-protected rights without any chance of legal recourse.
FoundingFrog
Article URL : https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/justices-texas-abortion-law-fast-tracked-hearing/story?id=80859822