Abortion rights groups sue to block Texas law that allows citizens to enforce 'heartbeat' ban

A group of abortion rights organizations and providers filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday seeking to block enforcement of a recently passed Texas law that would allow private citizens to sue individuals thought to have assisted in violating the state's so-called heartbeat ban.

The suit -- brought by the Center for Reproductive Rights, Whole Woman's Health, Planned Parenthood Center for Choice and other groups -- is challenging SB 8, which was signed into law in May by Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The law bars most abortions at the onset of a fetal heartbeat, which can occur as early as six weeks into pregnancy and before many people know they are pregnant. The plaintiffs in the suit take specific aim at a provision that gives individuals a monetary incentive to enforce the law, as well as a unique aspect of the measure that opens anyone who aided in accessing such an abortion to legal liability -- including "someone who accompanies her sister to an abortion clinic and pays for the abortion, or a sexual assault counselor who calls an abortion clinic on behalf of a patient," according to the filing.