President Biden asserted that a new Texas law banning abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat “blatantly violates” Roe v. Wade in a written statement on Wednesday.
“The Texas law will significantly impair women’s access to the health care they need, particularly for communities of color and individuals with low incomes,” said Biden.
The president added that “my administration is deeply committed to the constitutional right established in Roe v. Wade nearly five decades ago and will protect and defend that right.”
The law went into effect on Wednesday after the Supreme Court declined to act on an emergency petition to block it. The law’s unusual enforcement mechanism grants citizens the right to sue anyone who helps a woman have an abortion — though not the woman herself — for damages of $10,000 or more.
Additionally, the law bars state officials from enforcing the new restrictions on abortions, in an attempt to dissuade future lawsuits.
Twelve other states have attempted to enact fetal heartbeat laws, however those laws were struck down by various courts, according to the Associated Press. Texas is the first state to successfully enact such a law.
Source: National Review
