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New abortion law: begging on his knees for an abortion
An abortion clinic in Texas performed 67 abortions in the 17 hours before the new abortion law went into effect.
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Clinic director Marva Sadler spoke of a battle against time to help as many women as possible before a new abortion law takes effect in the state on Wednesday.
Whole Women’s Health in Fort Worth is one of about 24 clinics that offer abortions in Texas. As of Wednesday, it is illegal to have them after the sixth week of pregnancy.
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saddles say 19 . news That a young woman visited the clinic for the first time on Tuesday night. The woman said she was addicted to drugs and that she would start serving a five-year prison sentence within a week. At home she has three children and does not want to have a child in prison.
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According to Sadler, she knelt on the cold tiled floor and begged her to have an abortion.
But in Texas, all patients have to wait 24 hours from the first hour to have an abortion. The woman was 12 weeks pregnant, and having an abortion on a Wednesday was illegal.
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The head of the clinic says they performed 67 abortions in 17 hours on Tuesday, up to 23.56. They also examined 60 women who were given medication to induce abortions that were performed.
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according to AP Abortion clinics in neighboring countries began noticing an increase even before Wednesday. A clinic in Oklahoma received more than twice as many inquiries than usual, and two-thirds of the patients were from Texas. A clinic in Kansas expects a 40 percent increase in the number of patients based on inquiries they have received from Texas.
Not everyone has the opportunity to travel to another country to have an abortion. It can be difficult for a woman to get time off work, get child care, or afford transportation.
The new abortion law (Senate Bill 8) puts anyone who helps a Texas woman to have an abortion after the sixth week at risk of prosecution — indefinitely.
In the United States, the right to self-abortion has been federally enacted since Roe v. Wade in 1973. The law states that a woman has the right to self-abort until the fetus is viable—around 22-24 weeks.
Several states have since introduced stricter laws. Already in 2019 it was More than 400 restrictions on abortion law has been submitted.
Senate Bill 8 would ban abortion after fetal heart sounds have been recorded, usually in the sixth week of pregnancy. Many women at this time do not realize that they are pregnant.
Pregnancy weeks are counted from the first day of the last menstrual period. This leaves a very short amount of time for you to notice your missed periods – if you do.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the SB8 in May, but after the Supreme Court refused to block the law last week it went into effect on Wednesday, September 1.
Even in cases of rape or incest, an abortion is not permitted after a heart sound has been recorded.
A new approach to law
According to the New York Times podcast The Daily, the reason this law has come under regulation is because lawmakers have taken a new approach:
SB8 says that no government official can enforce the law, but instead, all citizens can file civil claims against anyone involved in helping someone have an abortion after the sixth week. Plus, these are rewarded with money – if you win the lawsuit, you can get $10,000 and legal costs covered.
This means that partners, consultants, and drivers can be sued in theory for at least $10,000 — and multiple times for the same action. “The Daily” calls this a “shooting award.”
Clinics are being intimidated to stop offering abortions. Court reporter Adam Liptak says on the podcast that the clinics’ legal assessment is that they can’t take the risk.
Usually, one can try to stop these laws by prosecuting the law enforcement officials. But since this excludes powers in favor of individuals, it is difficult.
Majority in the Supreme Court Which passed the law by 5 to 4 votes, states that they have not taken a position on whether the law is unconstitutional. This can be tested if a civil lawsuit ends up in court, but is asked if anyone would take the opportunity of filing multiple lawsuits to prosecute whether SB8 was unconstitutional.
To get there, one must first clarify who can sue.
Many of the organizations that offer family planning have sued all judges and all attorneys in the state because, in theory, they would be liable for civil lawsuits. This lawsuit is currently pending in a federal appeals court.
Until now, abortion after the sixth week is practically prohibited for most women in Texas.
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