Debra Sweet holds up a sign while she joins others gathered at Brooklyn Borough Hall, September 1, 2021, in Downtown Brooklyn, New York City.
Garland will announce the civil suit against Texas at 2:30 pm during a press conference ET
President Joe Biden had criticised the overnight high court ruling and called it an "insult to the rule of law." Merrick Garland, Attorney General, stated that the Justice Department was currently "evaluating all options to safeguard the constitutional rights for women, including accessing an abortion."
After the Supreme Court, which is stacked 6-3 with conservative justices last week refused to block controversial abortion law's implementation, the lawsuit will be filed.
According to NBC News, the Department of Justice will announce a lawsuit against Texas Thursday regarding its restrictive abortion law.
The law was signed by Republican Governor in May. Greg Abbott prohibits abortion after detection of fetal heartbeat. This usually happens around the sixth week. Many women don't know they are pregnant until that point.
S.B. 8 is the legislation. 8 provides an exception for medical emergencies but not pregnancies that are the result of rape or incest. Abbott defended the law and stated that his goal was to "eliminate all forms of rape so no woman or person will be a victim."
The law does not empower law enforcement or public officials to enforce the ban. Instead, it allows private citizens to file civil lawsuits against abortion providers and anyone who "aids/abandons" an abortion after the six week threshold. These lawsuits can result in at least $10,000 in "statutory damage" per abortion.
Critics claim that these rules create a bounty system to circumvent the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade.
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court denied an emergency request by abortion-rights advocates to a temporary injunction to prevent the abortion law's effective date of Sept. 1.
In a single-paragraph ruling, the majority which included all three Justices appointed by President Donald Trump wrote that petitioners "never carried their burden" on the complex procedural issues raised in the case.
They also noted that the "order is not based upon any conclusion about Texas's constitutionality law."
Justice Sonia Sotomayor stated in dissent that Texas had "deputized its citizens as bounty hunters and offered them cash prizes for civilly pursuing their neighbors' medical procedures."
This is breaking news. Keep checking back for more updates.
