- The new law in Texas bans abortion at 6 weeks when a fetal heartbeat can be detected.
- The bill makes no exceptions for pregnancies that resulted from rape or incest.
- The Supreme Court is hearing another case in Mississippi on the state’s 15-week abortion ban.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law that bans abortion at 6 weeks, which is before most people even realize they’re pregnant or have missed a period.
The law is scheduled to take effect in September.
Texas currently permits abortions up to 20 weeks unless pregnant people have a life threatening medical condition or the fetus has a severe abnormality.
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing an abortion case in Mississippi — Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization — regarding the state’s law that bans abortions after 15 weeks.
Depending on the decision, the court will either reaffirm or knock down Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that protects the constitutional right to have an abortion. Abortion is currently legal in all 50 states, including Texas and Mississippi.
If Roe v. Wade were to be overturned, more states may sign restrictive and extreme laws blocking access to abortions.
Abortion rights activists and advocates are preparing to challenge the Texas bill to prevent it from going into effect in September.
Source: healthline