A Texas statute prohibiting abortions after six weeks of pregnancy was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court late Wednesday night. This resulted in a 5-4 decision, with three Trump-appointed justices voting with two other conservative justices. Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative, and the court’s three liberal justices were among those who expressed their disapproval.
Abortion providers in Texas notified women that they would no longer perform the operation beyond six weeks of pregnancy as a result of the legislation taking effect earlier Wednesday since the Supreme Court did not take action. Later, almost 24 hours later, the Supreme Court denied the abortion rights activists’ plea to temporarily halt implementation of the legislation.Following Roe v Wade, Texas became the first state to outlaw abortion this early in pregnancy, and last-minute attempts to block the law by filing an appeal with the United States Supreme Court by Tuesday were unsuccessful, according to the Guardian.
According to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the court’s decision is “shocking” and that the legislation is a “breathtaking act of defiance” — against the Constitution, against this court’s precedent, and against the rights of women who seek abortions across Texas.”
A significant abortion decision is expected to be issued by the Supreme Court next term, which is when the Supreme Court will rule on SB 8. The court will consider a challenge to Mississippi’s 15-week abortion restriction, as well as the question of whether abortions may be limited before the baby is viable, which could substantially weaken or reverse the court’s precedent in Roe v. Wade, which was established in 1973.
