Texas residents may have to pay at least $10,000 or more in damages if caught by private entities participating in or assisting someone in getting an abortion six weeks into pregnancy.
The law, informally known as the “heartbeat bills” which was signed by Governor Greg Abbott in May, has taken effect on Wednesday, legally restricting abortions to be conducted when a fetal heartbeat is detected.
The measure also legally “allows private citizens to bring civil lawsuits against anyone who provides an abortion after six weeks or helps a woman access such procedures, such as a friend who drives a woman to obtain an abortion or clinic staff.
Those found to violate the Texas law are required to pay at least $10,000 to the person who successfully brought the suit.”
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Abortion rights groups warned against the newly enacted law, saying that this could be subverted by “vigilantes looking to harass abortion providers”. They also said this could be harmful to women in Texas seeking an abortion, as they have to leave the state to have a successful procedure, putting them at several risks.
Women in low-income households would have to take physical, emotional, and financial risks to get a procedure done, including but not limited to traveling to other states to get a safe procedure.
Abortion clinics will also be burdened with looking for lawyers and the threat of bringing several cases to court because of their operations.
“No one should be forced to drive hundreds of miles or be made to continue a pregnancy against their will, yet that’s what will happen unless the Supreme Court steps in,” says Amy Hagstrom Miller, president, and CEO of Whole Woman’s Health.
Abortion rights groups have since called on the Supreme Court to intervene with the legislation, calling the measure unconstitutional. However, the Supreme Court has yet to answer these emergency requests.
On the other hand, the legislation could set a precedent across other Republican-led states in crafting their abortion laws.
According to John Seago, the legislative director for Texas Right to Life, “We have already heard from states that are working on drafting some legislation that takes this approach to the enforcement mechanism.”
