Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill Wednesday banning miscarriage after about six weeks of pregnancy. The law also gives citizens the right to charge fees for doctors who still perform abortions after six weeks. The video above shows Texas MPs cheering after Abbott signs the law.
The new law is the most stringent abortion law in the United States. Entanglement is part of a wave of similar abortion laws recently passed in the states of the Republic.
• Arkansas’ new strict abortion law aims to overturn a landmark Supreme Court ruling
Lawmakers who support such laws have said they want Roe vs. Wade to be ousted. The famous 1973 Supreme Court ruling guarantees abortion rights in all 50 states. The woman is allowed to interrupt her pregnancy as long as the baby is “unable to survive” outside the womb, which equates to a 24-week pregnancy.
Only this week, the Supreme Court opened the door to such a rejection of “Roe vs. Wade” by agreeing to review Mississippi’s bid to ban abortions after 15 weeks.
• The US Supreme Court examines the strict abortion law
heart beat
Texas law, which will go into effect in September if the court does not stop it, allows citizens to file a civil lawsuit against doctors or anyone who helps a woman with a miscarriage as soon as a heartbeat is detected.
In an open letter earlier this month, about 200 Texas doctors said they were concerned that the law would place doctors at risk of “frivolous lawsuits that threaten our ability to provide health care.”
