The Department of Justice is asking the Supreme Court to block the Texas Abortion Act

October 19, 2021

The Department of Justice has issued a brief reference to a request from the US Supreme Court to temporarily block a severely restrictive law on abortion in Texas.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. asked Texas officials to file a response with the Department of Justice by noon on Thursday, meaning the Supreme Court could act faster than normal. New York Times reports.

The Department of Justice also asked the Supreme Court to expedite the process and address the constitutionality of Texas law this calendar year, The times said. If that happens, the appellate court hearing scheduled for December will be bypassed.

Texas law went into effect Sept. 1 and prohibits abortions once the fetal heart rate is established, which is usually about 6 weeks.

The Justice Department’s summary says the law “virtually eliminates access to abortion in Texas after six weeks of pregnancy.” In short, Texas has successfully overturned the court’s rulings within its borders. “

The Supreme Court legalized abortion with Rowe’s decision against Wade in 1972. Since then, a Justice Department report has said that the court has repeatedly ruled that “the state cannot prohibit any woman from making a final decision to terminate a pregnancy before viability. ”- generally accepted as 22-24 weeks of pregnancy.

Texas law “opposes these precedents by banning abortions long before viability – even before many women even realize they are pregnant,” the short text said.

The law also has an unusual feature that allows a Texas citizen to file civil lawsuits against anyone who helps a pregnant woman seeking an abortion, even if only by taking them to a clinic.

A few days after the law came into force, President Joe Biden said he would make a large-scale federal effort to repeal the “strange” statute.

The US Supreme Court refused by 5-4 votes on September 1 to take action on urgent appeals to postpone the law. A federal judge in Texas ruled on October 6 that the new law could be suspended while it makes its way through the courts. But the Fifth District Court of Appeals ruled on October 14 that the law could remain in effect while it is on trial.