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Abortion opponents, months before the Texas legislature convened in January 2021, knew the 140-day session would involve bold moves in their 48-year battle against the trial.
One goal was to pass clearly unconstitutional laws in the hopes of bringing the issue before the new Conservative 6: 3 majority in the U.S. Supreme Court – to initiate a lawsuit against previous beliefs establishing the right to abortion. could cancel in whole or in part.
One priority, Senate Bill 8, has been named the Heartbeat Act because it banned abortion once it could detect embryonic heart activity, which generally occurs in the sixth week of pregnancy, before most women know they are pregnant.
More:Texas judge rules some provisions of the state’s restrictive abortion law are in violation of the Texas constitution
The law exceeded expectations as court judgments allowed SB 8 to go into effect while its constitutionality was reviewed, barring access to abortions for many of those unable to travel out of the state for the trial.
The US Supreme Court on Friday declined to block enforcement for the third time since it was passed, while a lawsuit by abortion providers was admitted in Austin District Court.
More:Supreme Court Allows Clinics to Challenge Texas Abortion Act, Senate Act 8 passes
Here is the story of the country’s most restrictive abortion regime since the landmark US Supreme Court ruling in the Roe v. Wade in 1973, which established the right to abortion:
March 11: SB 8 is filed with the Texas Senate and approved by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has a low invoice number which it designates as a priority. It eventually wins 16 Republican and one Democratic co-authors in the Senate, as well as 74 co-sponsors of the House of Representatives, all with the GOP.
March 22: Placed in the fast lane, SB 8 was voted out of office with 65 testimony from the committee one week after the end of its public hearing around 10.30 p.m.
More:How the Supreme Court ruling on a Mississippi abortion law will affect Texas
March 30: The Texas Senate gives SB 8 its final vote, 19-12, with all Republicans in favor and all Democrats against, with the exception of Senator Eddie Lucio Jr. of Brownsville.
May 6th: The Texas House gives final approval after making several small changes, including banning those charged with rape or incest from filing lawsuits to enforce SB 8. The senators are quick to approve the changes.
May 19th: Signing SB 8, Governor Greg Abbott says, “Our Creator gave us the right to life, yet millions of children lose their right to life every year because of abortions. In Texas, we are working to save these lives, and that is exactly what the Texas legislature did in this session. “
17th July: Abortion providers led by Whole Woman’s Health to block SB 8’s scheduled entry into force on September 1st.
August 27th: The US District Judge Robert Pitman from Austin rejects a motion to dismiss the complaint of the providers and set up an injunction. State officials appeal and the U.S. 5th appeals court cancels the hearing.
More:Beto Knocks Abbott Down on Abortion Laws and Guns at First Campaign Event; emphasizes industrial relations
August 30th: Abortion providers are reaching out to the US Supreme Court with an urgency motion to lock SB 8 off for the next day.
September 1: SB 8 goes into effect, forcing abortion providers to drastically reduce scheduled appointments. Late in the day, the Supreme Court rejects vendors’ urgent motion to block the law in a 5-4 ruling.
September 9th: The US Department of Justice is suing Texas for stopping enforcement of SB 8 for violating the US Constitution and federal law.
Oct 6: Pitman grants the injunction requested by the Biden government and renders Texas unable to enforce the abortion regime.
8th October: Texas appeals and that same day the 5th District Court stops Pitman’s order to investigate the case further.
Oct 14: The Court of Appeals granted a prolonged stay of Pitman’s order, prompting the Justice Department to seek intervention from the Supreme Court.
More:GOP Voting Act, Abortion Drugs Act and other special session laws come into force
October 22nd: The Supreme Court denies the Department of Justice’s motion to uphold Pitman’s injunction but accepts the matter for expedited review and combines the Department of Justice’s case with the earlier lawsuit filed by abortion providers in Texas. The Supreme Court limits its review to whether the provider or the Biden administration has legal standing.
November 1st: The court hears oral arguments in both cases, while lawyers on both sides of the debate hold open-air rallies.
November 10th: A state district judge hears over a dozen legal challenges to the law to prevent enforcement in a state court. Abortion providers, abortion funding organizations, and others are trying to prevent Texas Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, from legally suing them.
Dec 9: When the law is challenged at the state level, a district judge issues the first court order that weighs the constitutionality of the law. Judge David Peeples says the enforcement mechanism contained in SB 8 is against the Texas Constitution and should not be enforced, but it does not block the law.
Dec 10: In Judgment 8-1, the Supreme Court dismisses the Department of Justice’s challenge against SB 8, but says a legal challenge to abortion providers can continue in an Austin federal district court. For the time being, the law still applies.
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https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/12/10/how-texas-abortion-law-became-nations-most-restrictive/6340746001/
