New abortion law blocked by US judge

A judge in the USA has blocked a new law in Texas. This law effectively blocks women from having an abortion. District Judge Robert Pitman has got a grant from the Biden administration to prevent any enforcement of the abortion law while it is facing a legal challenge.

The law prohibits women in Texas from obtaining abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The republican politicians drafted and approved this law.

The White House has praised the latest ruling as a much important step. “The fight has only just begun, both in Texas and in many states across this country where women’s rights are currently under attack,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

The officials of Texas immediately appealed the ruling. They are setting the stage for a further court battle.

Judge Pitman of Austin, in his 113-page opinion, wrote, from the moment the law started its journey, “women have been unlawfully prevented from exercising control over their lives in ways that are protected by the Constitution”.

“This court will not sanction one more day of this offensive deprivation of such an important right,” he said on Wednesday.

But this anti-abortion group Texas Right to Live, has accused the judges of catering to the industry of abortion. It has called for a fair hearing at its next stage. This is the final legal drawback for Texas after the implementation of the law.

Biden’s administration took some legal actions after the conservative-majority Supreme Court declined to prevent Texas from this law implementation. The justice department files an emergency motion to lock the enforcement of abortion law while it is pursuing legal action.

Mr. Biden has described this law as an assault on the rights of women. But Texas Governor Greg Abbott has defended it, saying that the most precious freedom is life.

The Heartbeat Act bans all the terminals after the detection of the fetal heartbeat. This effectively bans abortions from early six weeks into a pregnancy, at a time when most women will not understand that they are pregnant.

The law included a provision that stipulated the costs and clinic to stay liable for abortions that take place in an emergency injunction. But whether this provision will be enforceable or not is unclear. Judge Pitman said that in his ruling, it was of questionable legality.

Credits: BBC