In 1973 the U.S. Supreme court ruled that restrictive regulation of abortion by a state was unconstitutional. Stating that it violated a woman’s right to privacy. Recently, there has been backlash from states regarding this decision. Individual states have been creating laws that limit the circumstances for which women can get abortions. In Texas, they passed Senate Bill 8, which went into effect on September 1, 2021. This bill limits the time women can get an abortion down to six weeks, with no exceptions for circumstances like sexual assault. Many advocacy groups are concerned with this as it is normal to not even know you are pregnant by that time.
For some, the heart-breaking close-to-home stories of assaults that result in unwanted pregnancies, or pregnancy complications that threaten the mother’s life are enough to make them strongly oppose SB8. But for the legislators that pushed the bill through, it is a matter of misunderstanding what is allowed under the bill, but not providing any additional advice. Leaving doctors afraid that they will be vulnerable to lawsuits because there is such vague language. This fear leads them and their clients into dangerous situations, having to travel across state borders to get abortions in highly demanded clinics.
The pressure put on different states, by those traveling to them to get abortions from different states has increased greatly over the past six months. These states bordering Texas have started looking into and drafting bills similar to SB8 in Texas, which would make it even harder for these women to find safe places to get their procedure. And a lot of those who seek abortions may not be able to afford to cross multiple states to get it done successfully. In Texas, there is a $10,000 reward to individuals who sue those they suspect to be practicing abortions after the six-week cut-off.
This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group Blog. If you are in need of legal help, the CIMA Law Group is a law firm in Phoenix, Arizona which possesses expertise in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.
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