Texas Law Banning Abortion After 6 Weeks Goes Into Effect

A Texas law that bars abortions at six weeks went into effect this morning after the Supreme Court and a federal appeals court failed to rule on it. The law which is one of the strictest in the nation and bans abortion before many people know they are even pregnant and allows private citizens to bring civil suits against anyone who assists a pregnant person seeking an abortion in violation of the ban. Before this, no other six-week ban has ever been allowed to go into effect.

Under the Texas law, abortion is prohibited when a fetal heartbeat is detected and there are no exceptions for rape or incest but there is an exemption for ‘medical emergencies.’ During their upcoming term, Supreme Court justices are set to rule on a Mississippi law that bars abortion at 15 weeks.