On Wednesday, the Supreme Court approved a Texas state law that allows private citizens to sue for a ban on the procedure following six weeks of pregnancy.
As the justices begin to reconsider the rights to abortion that it established nearly 50 years ago, the courts have decided not to act on an urgent petition from Texas abortion clinics. Justices in May agreed to review Mississippi's ban on abortion after 15 weeks. This was a direct challenge of Roe v. Wade which legalized abortion nationally in 1973. These arguments will be heard later in the year with a ruling expected by 2022.
The Texas law signed in May would allow citizens to bring civil lawsuits against abortion providers and anyone who facilitates the procedure after six weeks. This includes any person driving a pregnant woman to the clinic. The law provides that anyone who is found guilty of violating it will be fined $10,000. This bounty, which abortion rights advocates fear, encourages harassment, intimidation, and vigilantism.
