Governor Abbot signs a law that bans most abortions in Texas

The law will prevent women from having an abortion in the state if they are in the stage where the heartbeat is heard fetus

Photo: Lynda M. Gonzalez-Pool / Getty Images

Texas Governor Greg Abbott enacted Wednesday a law prohibiting abortion at the time of that a fetal heartbeat is detected, a measure that makes Texas the largest state in the nation to ban abortion so early in a pregnancy.

Texas law effectively prohibits any abortion after approximately six weeks of pregnancy , before many women realize they are pregnant.

There is no specific time frame linked to SB 8 because fetal heartbeats can be detected as early as six weeks’ gestation, or six weeks after a woman’s last menstrual period, not since the beginning of her pregnancy, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

The heartbeat bill is now LAW in the Lone Star State.

This bill ensures the life of every unborn child with a heartbeat will be saved from the ravages of abortion.

Thank you @ SenBryanHughes , @ ShelbySlawson , & # txlege for fighting for the lives of the unborn in Texas. pic.twitter.com/aolhUKM9tv

– Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 19, 2021

The restriction places Texas at the forefront among states challenging the limits of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court case of 1973 which established the legal right of women to abortion .

The law, which will take effect in September, does not make an exception for pregnancies that are the result of rape or incest , but includes a rare provision that allows citizens to sue anyone they believe may have been involved in helping a pregnant person violate the abortion ban.

The rule cannot be used against pregnant people, but reproductive rights advocates warn that it can be used to target abortion providers and abortion rights activists.

Opponents of the law, which will take effect on September 1, argue that it would ban abortions before most women know they are pregnant, and making it illegal the procedure.

In a letter to lawmakers last month, a coalition of more than 300 Texas attorneys raised constitutional concerns about the language of the legislation, saying the civil lawsuit provision “arms the court system” and warned that it could subject Texans to harassment and abuse through the legal system.

On 2020, the state reported around 53, 000 abortions , according to data from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

Data shows that the number of abortions performed in Texas annually has decreased dramatically since 2001.

With information from NPR and Austin American-Statesman