In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to block Texas’ restrictive abortion law.
If the new law was applied to private suits, abortion providers would not have any legal recourse.
According to Planned Parenthood, 85-90% of Texans who have an abortion are between six and six weeks pregnant.
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Bloomberg Law reported that Texas Right to Life and its associates were granted a temporary restraining Order against Planned Parenthood, an abortion provider in Texas, on Friday.
The restraining orders prohibit the anti-abortion group's ability to sue abortion providers and health workers in Texas under the restrictive abortion law. This was a ruling that the Supreme Court issued Wednesday with a 5-4 decision.
Planned Parenthood filed a request for a restraining order. It stated that the anti-abortion group "threatened implementation... of the six-week ban, its enforcement scheme, and S.B. 8's fee shifting provision, would cause "imminent, irreparable injury" for abortion providers.
Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, Texas District Court for Travis County, stated that the law created an "improbable, irreparable and imminent injury in interim" for abortion providers. They would not have any legal recourse if they were subject to private enforcement lawsuits.
The Texas Heartbeat law, SB 8, went into effect Wednesday. It prohibits abortions once a fetal beat is detected. This is typically around six weeks before most women realize they are pregnant. According to a Planned Parenthood press release, the overwhelming majority of Texans 85-90% who have abortions are six weeks or more into their pregnancy.
Private citizens can also sue anyone who aids or abets an abortion. If they win, the case will be worth at least $10,000 plus attorney fees.
Texas Right to Life created a website that allowed people to anonymously report on people who have gotten abortions in violation of the law. Fake tips have been posted to the site.
