Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed a new bill into law, adding additional restrictions to abortion access.
The bill, approved by the Texas Legislature during the special session that came to a close on September 2, prohibits the use of abortion-inducing medication after seven weeks of pregnancy, as The Hill reports.
Additionally, individuals who “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly” break the law can be charged. They could face a state jail felony and fines of as much as $10,000. It could also mean between 180 days and two years behind bars.
It will reportedly go into effect in December.
Less than a month ago, the state’s “fetal heartbeat bill,” a law banning all abortions after six weeks, went into effect, as IJR reported.
The bill received significant criticism from lawmakers and President Joe Biden.
“This extreme Texas law blatantly violates the constitutional right established under Roe v. Wade and upheld as precedent for nearly half a century,” Biden said.
He argued, “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.”
Biden also claimed the law “deputizes private citizens to bring lawsuits against anyone who they believe has helped another person get an abortion, which might even include family members, health care workers, front desk staff at a health care clinic, or strangers with no connection to the individual.”
The Supreme Court earlier this month refused to block the bill, as IJR reported.
The court’s opinion said abortion providers did not address “complex and novel antecedent procedural questions” adequately in their case against the law.
A Monmouth University poll showed 54% of Americans disagreed with the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the law to go into effect. Only 39% of Americans support the decision.
