The US Supreme Court late Wednesday night has refused to block a new law in Texas that bans abortions for most women after six weeks of pregnancy.
The law gives any individual the right to sue doctors who perform an abortion past the six-week point.
The judges voted 5-4 early on Thursday to deny an emergency appeal from abortion providers and others that sought to block enforcement of the law.
The Court suggested that their order likely wasn’t the last word and other challenges can be brought
The court’s action came just before midnight on Wednesday, nearly a day after the law went into effect.
Women’s Rights groups had asked the court to block the law.
The vote was 5-4, with three Trump-appointed justices joining two other conservative justices.
Court’s ruling an unprecedented assault on constitutional rights
– President Biden
President Joe Biden condemned the court’s decision, said the Supreme Court’s ruling overnight is an unprecedented assault on constitutional rights under Roe v. Wade. Complete strangers will now be empowered to inject themselves in the most private of health decisions. The law does not even allow exceptions in cases of rape or incest.
“I am launching a whole-of-government effort to respond to this decision, ….looking specifically to HHS and DOJ to see what steps the federal government can take to insulate those in Texas from this law and ensure access to safe and legal abortions as protected by Roe.,” Biden added in a tweet.
In a statement, President Biden said his administration would “protect and defend” the constitutional rights established under Roe v Wade and “upheld as a precedent for nearly half a century”.
President Biden’s statement as below:
Last night, the Supreme Court threatened nearly 50 years of legal precedent, dealing a significant blow to Roe v. Wade and the right of women to make decisions about their own bodies. Without a hearing or due consideration, the majority of justices effectively allowed a bounty law to go into effect in Texas, and an abortion ban after about six weeks of pregnancy even in cases of rape or incest.
This decision is not the last word on Roe v. Wade, and we will not stand by and allow our nation to go back to the days of back-alley abortions. We will not abide by cash incentives for virtual vigilantes and intimidation for patients. We will use every lever of our Administration to defend the right to safe and legal abortion—and to strengthen that right.
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