By Jessica Easthope
The Justice Department sued the state of Texas Thursday, Sept. 9 – asserting the law illegally interferes with federal interests.
“This law is a violation of your rights and we are going to do everything we can to provide assistance as quickly as we can,” said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
The pro-life law bans abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy, or after the detection of a fetal heartbeat. The ‘Texas Heartbeat Act’ went into effect on Sept. 1 after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked an injunction.
Biden, the country’s second Catholic president called the law an assault on women’s constitutional rights. The heartbeat law doesn’t make any exemptions for rape or incest but will allow abortions if a mother’s life is in danger.
“Rape is a crime,” said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
Those outspoken against the law say it will not eliminate abortions but rather force women seeking them to travel elsewhere.
“One of the clinics I work at out-of-state is already booked with Texas patients throughout the whole month of September,” said Dallas OBGYN Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi.
This is the first time the supreme court has allowed a pro-life law to remain in place while litigation plays out in lower courts.