Life wins in Texas as a bill declaring abortions after six weeks of pregnancy illegal took effect on Wednesday.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced via Twitter the effectivity of the Texas Heartbeat Act, more commonly called Senate Bill 8, that safeguards the unborn from abortion. Abbott signed the law last May 19 as a companion to House Bill 1515, which similarly bans abortion for the unborn after a heartbeat has been detected.
"No freedom is more precious than life itself. Starting today, every unborn child with a heartbeat will be protected from the ravages of abortion. Texas will always defend the right to life," Abbott declared.
Abbott also announced that "over 600 new laws" went "into effect" in Texas on Wednesday that included House Bill 1280, which is set to "outlaw abortion in Texas after Roe v. Wade is overturned."
"The 87th Legislative Session was a monumental success, and many of the laws going into effect today will ensure a safer, freer, healthier, and more prosperous Texas. I look forward to my continued work with the legislature to build upon these successes and create an even brighter future for the Lone Star State," Abbott said in a statement.
House Bill 1280 or the Human Life Protection Act of 2021 was signed by Abbott last June 16 after the Supreme Court accepted to hear the Mississippi case, "Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization," which is anticipated to overturn Roe v. Wade. HB 1280 is accompanied by Senate Bills 9 and 391, which similarly criminalizes abortion in the state.
The Gateway Pundit highlighted that the SB8 took effect after the United States Supreme Court ignored an emergency request made by pro-choice groups American Civil Liberties Union, a legal organization comprised of 1.7 million members set to defend "the rights enshrined in the US Constitution," and Planned Parenthood to block the law's implementation on September 1.
SCOTUSBlog Independent Reporter Amy Howe explained that the abortion providers brought the "Whole Woman's Health v. Jackson" case to the Supreme Court on Monday on emergency basis but only acted on the request on Wednesday.
The court is said to be divided on emergency appeals procedures but did come out with a decision on the case on a 5-4 vote as Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Stephen Breyer dissenting. The case will now return to the lower courts for litigation on the constitutionality of the law.
"Nearly 24 hours after a Texas law that bans nearly all abortions in the state went into effect, the Supreme Court on Wednesday confirmed what it had previously only implied through its failure to act the night before: The court rejected a request to block enforcement of the law, which abortion providers say will bar at least 85% of abortions in the state and will likely cause many clinics to close, while a challenge to its constitutionality is litigated in the lower courts," Howe said.
ACLU called SB8 "not just sinister" but also "unconstitutional" as it allegedly prevents " the constitutional right to abortion care" when they announced plans to file the lawsuit in July in a vow "to stop it." ACLU actually announced on Wednesday that the Supreme Court did not respond to their emergency request causing the law to be in effect, which in turn will have a "devastating" impact to "millions of people."
"BREAKING: The Supreme Court has not responded to our emergency request to block Texas' radical new 6-week abortion ban, SB8. The law now takes effect. Access to almost all abortion has just been cut off for millions of people. The impact will be immediate and devastating," ACLU said in Twitter.
"The law bans abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy--before many people even know they're pregnant. The result is that many Texans will be forced to carry pregnancies against their will," ACLU added.
Meanwhile, prolifers like ProLife Voices for Trump National Co-Chair Fr. Frank Pavone celebrated the effectivity of SB thanking those who prayed for it. Pavone also thanked the state of Texas for passing the law and urged the public to call on other states to do the same.
"To everyone who prayed that the #SupremeCourt would leave intact #SB8 #TexasAbortionLaw #HeartbeatLaw--our prayers have been answered," Pavone said remarked in Twitter.
"Thank you Texas! Let's call on all states to pass Heartbeat laws to protect the unborn!" he added in Instagram.
