Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 1, 2021 / 12:30 pm
President Joe Biden on Wednesday said his administration is “deeply committed” to upholding legal abortion, after Texas’ pro-life “heartbeat” law went into effect.
“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,” Biden, a Catholic, said of the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.
The Texas Heartbeat Act went into effect on Wednesday, after the Supreme Court did not act on a last-minute petition to block the law.
The law requires doctors to search for a fetal heartbeat before performing an abortion. If a heartbeat is detected – which can be as early as six weeks into pregnancy – then abortions are prohibited under the law, except in medical emergencies. The law is enforced through private lawsuits, and not by the state government.