New legislation prohibits abortion for more than six weeks, even in cases of incest or rape. Joe Biden criticizes and claims to be violating “constitutional law.”
48 years later, Texas, US, led by Greg Abbott, the conservative GOP governor, repealed the abortion law in the nation’s most radical abortion law. After the US Supreme Court failed to stop the so-called “heartbeat law,” the southern state now prohibits termination of pregnancy after six weeks of pregnancy, ignoring whether it is a case of incest or a violation.
US President Joe Biden condemned the Texas Legislature’s decision that also allows individuals to report people they think helped them get an abortion, whether they be family members, healthcare professionals, medical clinic workers, or strangers.
“This sweeping Texas law flagrantly violates the constitutional right established in Roe v. Wade. [caso judicial pelo qual a Suprema Corte dos Estados Unidos reconheceu o direito ao aborto em 1973] – said Biden, – as a precedent persisted for almost half a century.
Open doors for others
A rule, adopted by Abbott in May, prohibits abortion from the moment the fetal heart rate can be determined, which can occur around the sixth week of pregnancy. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, “Between 85% and 90% of women who have an abortion in Texas are at least six weeks pregnant, meaning that the new law will ban almost all abortions in the state.”
This conquest by a conservative state that has so cherished its own freedoms regarding mask use or covid-19 vaccinations may open doors for other states that have tried unsuccessfully to restrict abortion laws. This is the case of Mississippi, where its proposal to ban termination of pregnancy after 15 weeks is expected to be considered in the coming weeks by a new conservative majority in the Supreme Court.
To have an abortion starting yesterday, you have to leave Texas and travel nearly 400 kilometers to find a clinic, according to the non-profit Guttmacher Institute.
The law is “an extreme threat,” admitted Jen Psaki, a White House spokeswoman, noting that the law allows “$ 10,000 (about 8,400 euros) to be offered to anyone who reports an abortion.” Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined several Democrats in criticizing the US Supreme Court for allowing the law to go into effect. “Under cover of darkness, deciding to do nothing, the Supreme Court allowed the unconstitutional ban on abortion to come into force. This ruling does not change the fact that reproductive rights are human rights. ”
