Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 2, 2021 / 07:00 am
A divided Supreme Court late Wednesday evening declined a petition to block Texas’ "heartbeat" law, allowing the law to stand for now.
Texas’ “Heartbeat Act” prohibits abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected – which can be as early as six weeks into pregnancy. It is enforced by allowing private lawsuits in cases of illegal abortions.
The court, in a 5-4 decision on Wednesday, denied a petition for relief from the law by abortion providers. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett all ruled to deny the petition. Chief Justice John Roberts, as well as Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor, all dissented.
“Texas is the first state to successfully protect the most vulnerable among us, preborn children, by outlawing abortion once their heartbeats are detected,” stated Chelsey Youman, Texas state director for the pro-life group Human Coalition Action, in response to the court ruling.