Texas passes "heartbeat" abortion ban that could lead to flood of lawsuits

Texas lawmakers passed a bill Thursday that would prohibit all abortions in the state after about six weeks into pregnancy — with a unique provision that would allow private citizens to file civil lawsuits against doctors, staff, or even a patient's family or friends who "aid and abet" in such procedures. The legislation, known to supporters as a "heartbeat" bill, bans the procedure after cardiac activity can be detected in the embryo, something that generally happens before most patients know they're pregnant.

The bill now heads to the desk of Governor Greg Abbott, who is expected to sign it into law. In a tweet on May 5, Abbott said, "I have signed 11 laws to protect innocent lives from abortion but more must be done" and thanked the bill's sponsors for "working so hard to get this to my desk." The legislation, Senate Bill 8, adds Texas to a group of more than a dozen other states that have passed so-called "heartbeat" bans, all of which have been blocked by federal courts. But Texas's version has a unique enforcement structure.