Under the new Texas abortion law (Senate Bill 8), private citizens are allowed to sue anyone they believe may have helped a woman get an abortion after six weeks from conception (when a heartbeat can normally be detected). This is before most women even know they are pregnant. Under the new law, the patients themselves cannot be sued for having an abortion. Instead, the law allows people to file lawsuits against anyone who helps a woman get an abortion in the state, and allows plaintiffs to be paid at least $10,000 for each successful suit. The threat of civil lawsuits and monetary judgments, in turn, causes medical providers to stop performing abortions.
Whether you are pro-choice or anti-abortion, one thing is clear to me: The Supreme Court must strike down state laws that use civil lawsuits and monetary damages to essentially prevent someone from exercising a right protected by the U.S. Constitution. In Roe v. Wade (1973), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a woman has the right to choose an abortion. To actually exercise that right, however, a woman must (1) know she is pregnant, and (2) have access to medical providers and enabling services. States cannot be allowed to circumvent the U.S. Constitution by enacting these types of laws to essentially deprive people of their civil rights. In my opinion, this new Texas law is simply the modern day version of a "poll tax", enacted to hinder and disenfranchise women from exercising their rights. Frankly, if this new Texas law is allowed to stand, state lawmakers across America (liberals and conservatives) will pass similar partisan laws designed to prevent the exercise of other controversial constitutional rights - so where does it all stop (e.g. freedom of speech, religion, press)? The Supreme Court must strike down the Texas abortion law or face a future where the Court's civil rights rulings are essentially meaningless, easily circumvented by partisan politicians in the various states. For more information on this story, please see the links below:
Texas's bizarre, draconian abortion law will get its day at the Supreme Court (houstonchronicle.com)
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