OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The Supreme Court has ignored the pleas of the pro-abortion crowd and has allowed a ban on abortions after a month and a half to begin.
The ban started on Wednesday after the Supreme Court did not step in and grant an emergency injunction, as pro-abortion advocates asked for, The New York Times reported.
A Texas law prohibiting most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy went into effect on Wednesday after the Supreme Court failed to act on a request to block it, ushering in the most restrictive abortion law in the nation and prompting clinics in the state to turn away women seeking the procedure.
The justices may still rule on the request, which is just an early step in what is expected to be an extended legal battle over the law. In the meantime, though, access to abortion in Texas has become extremely limited, the latest example of a Republican-led state imposing new constraints on ending pregnancies.
The law, known as Senate Bill 8, amounts to a nearly complete ban on abortion in Texas, one that will further fuel legal and political battles over the future of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that established a constitutional right to abortion. The law makes no exceptions for pregnancies resulting from incest or rape.
In an emergency application urging the justices to intervene, abortion providers in the state wrote that the law “would immediately and catastrophically reduce abortion access in Texas, barring care for at least 85 percent of Texas abortion patients (those who are six weeks pregnant or greater) and likely forcing many abortion clinics ultimately to close.”
Joe Biden was one of the first Democrats to express his disappointment.
“Today, Texas law SB8 went into effect. This extreme Texas law blatantly violates the constitutional right established under Roe v. Wade and upheld as precedent for nearly half a century,” he said.
“The Texas law will significantly impair women’s access to the health care they need, particularly for communities of color and individuals with low incomes. And, outrageously, it deputizes private citizens to bring lawsuits against anyone who they believe has helped another person get an abortion, which might even include family members, health care workers, front desk staff at a health care clinic, or strangers with no connection to the individual.
“My administration is deeply committed to the constitutional right established in Roe v. Wade nearly five decades ago and will protect and defend that right,” he said.
And he was not the only Democrat furious with the law.
“Silently–in the dead of night–the Supreme Court eviscerated the protection of a woman’s right to choose that has been protected for 50 years. CA will continue to protect this fundamental right & lead the nation in expanding access to reproductive care,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said.
Silently–in the dead of night–the Supreme Court eviscerated the protection of a woman’s right to choose that has been protected for 50 years.
CA will continue to protect this fundamental right & lead the nation in expanding access to reproductive care. https://t.co/Y10AlJ7wui
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 1, 2021
“Basic health care includes access to safe, legal abortion. We must put in the work now to elect pro-health care, pro-choice leaders in 2022,” Beto O”Rourke said.
Basic health care includes access to safe, legal abortion.
We must put in the work now to elect pro-health care, pro-choice leaders in 2022.
Sign up to register voters: https://t.co/JHnClFtfR4
Donate to the orgs fighting to protect the right to choose: https://t.co/jv6RxHiN9p
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) September 1, 2021
“Texas’ abortion ban, which denies women their constitutionally protected rights, is the product of a decades-long effort from right-wing activists to overturn Roe v. Wade. We must stand up for those freedoms—in the states, in Congress, and in the courts,” New Jersey Sen. Corey Booker said.
Texas' abortion ban, which denies women their constitutionally protected rights, is the product of a decades-long effort from right-wing activists to overturn Roe v. Wade.
We must stand up for those freedoms—in the states, in Congress, and in the courts.https://t.co/v9f4nCnrNZ
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) September 1, 2021
“Basic health care includes safe, legal abortion. The Texas abortion ban is an unconstitutional attack on reproductive rights—an attack happening all across America. Let’s be very clear: We’re going to fight this ban and defend,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said.
Basic health care includes safe, legal abortion. The Texas abortion ban is an unconstitutional attack on reproductive rights—an attack happening all across America. Let’s be very clear: We’re going to fight this ban and defend #RoeVWade.https://t.co/DVZazBPlFg
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) September 1, 2021
“Among many other warnings, survivors warned that sexual assault is about abuse of power,& a judge credibly accused of such shouldn’t be trusted w the rights of the vulnerable. Now Roe is upended. But we’re not going anywhere. This is a fight for our lives,” New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said.
Among many other warnings, survivors warned that sexual assault is about abuse of power,& a judge credibly accused of such shouldn’t be trusted w the rights of the vulnerable.
Now Roe is upended. But we’re not going anywhere. This is a fight for our lives.pic.twitter.com/9PhrgeYuHv
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 1, 2021
