New abortion law enforced in Texas as US Supreme Court stays mum

A new act that effectively bans abortions if there is a fetal heartbeat has come into force in Texas as the US Supreme Court did not respond to the request made before it of urgent hearing to stay the law.

As of midnight of September 1, a new law called the “Heartbeat Act” has come into force in Texas, United States, which effectively bans abortions if there is a fetal heartbeat that can be detected. Though no time is specified, medical experts suggest that this law would make abortions after 6 weeks illegal. What is different about this law, however, is not the tight window for legal abortion; rather it is the manner in which it is enforced. The law specifically prohibits State officials from enforcing the law and allows individual, private citizens “to hold the abortion industry accountable”. Through this, any individual can sue “abortion providers” or individuals who “aid or abet” an abortion after the 6-week deadline. This means that anyone from the person who drove a pregnant woman to an abortion clinic to the doctor who advised her could face a lawsuit, which would result in a minimum of $10,000 in statutory damages per abortion if found to have merit.