On Friday the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that guaranteed federal protections for an abortion.
In Texas, abortion will soon become illegal in due to the state’s “trigger law.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has said the trigger law will go into effect 30 days after the court’s official judgement (not opinion), which could come in about month.
“The U.S. Supreme Court correctly overturned Roe v. Wade and reinstated the right of states to protect innocent, unborn children,” said Gov. Greg Abbott in a prepared statement. “Texas is a pro-life state, and we have taken significant action to protect the sanctity of life.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke, who is challenging Abbott in November, said the only way to overcome the court’s decision is to win the race for governor.
“The Supreme Court has sent this back to the states, and our state’s current governor has outlawed abortion beginning at conception with no exception for rape or incest,” he said.
The decision, which overturns 50 years of precedent, had been expected for some time because of a leaked memo of the decision in May.
In a statatement from Amanda Beatriz Williams, executive director of Lilith Fund, the oldest abortion fund in Texas, said the group will keep its hotline open.
“We can’t overstate how devastating this ruling is to the communities we serve,” Williams said. “Abortion funds have been sounding the alarm about this happening for years, but knowing it was coming does not diminish the deep harm this will cause, especially among low-income people of color living in the South. While we are heartbroken by this news, we will not close our hotline, which will remain open to provide information to Texans. Today we are grieving, but tomorrow we will continue our fight. And while we are forced to comply with the law, abortion funds are experts in building power in our communities and we aren’t going to stop showing up for pregnant Texans.”
The Lilith Fund has paused direct funding for abortion while it evalutes the impact of the decision. Texas Equal Access Fund, another major abortion fund in the state, has also stopped funding abortions for now.
President Biden delivered a speech in response to the court opinion where he encouraged voters to elect pro-choice lawmakers to Congress to codify Roe v. Wade.
“This Fall Roe is on the ballot,” Biden said.
This is a developing story.
Original photo: Kai Medina / Wikimedia Commons
Fernando covers Texas politics and government at the Texas Signal. Before joining the Signal, Fernando spent two years at the Houston Chronicle and previously interned at Houston’s NPR station News 88.7. He is a graduate of the University of Houston, Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, and enjoys reading, highlighting things, and arguing on social media. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93 or email at fernando@texassignalarchive.com
